The Magic of Dreams
by MegaTJ
Summary: Upon finding a very battered colt on her doorstep, Twilight Sparkle finds herself on a new adventure with the Pegasus without a past.
1. Dream Runner

Dream Runner

Twilight Sparkle paced nervously beside the couch that held her surprise guest. Her breath came in small gasps and her heart was doing summersaults in her chest. Three hours had passed since she found him on her doorstep, and his condition had yet to improve. She glanced at him again.

His dark gray-blue body was covered in bruises, scratches, and bandages. The same bandages she placed over his cuts three hours ago. His sudden appearance scared her more than she would have liked to admit, especially the condition he showed up in.

"Zrhrmngah…" he mumbled in his sleep. She stared at him. It was the first sound other than snoring that had come from him since she found him. Her hope was that he was waking up.

He moved a little in his sleep. Was he coming around?

Twilight stood over him, ready to help him sit up if it was needed. After a few very tense seconds she looked away. False alarm.

Twilight sighed. She was hoping he would wake up so she could know what had happened. A gentle knock came to the library's door. The unicorn eagerly answered, glad something had turned her mind away from the Pegasus that lay on her favorite reading couch. One question did remain. Why would anypony visit her at this time of night?

Fluttershy stood on the other side. She smiled tenderly.

"Fluttershy, what are you doing here this late?" Twilight asked, motioning for her to come in.

"Forgive me Twilight, but I think I left Angel's favorite toy carrot here when we visited earlier. He won't sleep without it. Do you mind if I—oh, my…" Fluttershy started. She spotted the blue Pegasus on the couch and fluttered her way over to see him better.

"Twilight, what happened?"

"I don't know. I found him like this on my doorstep. I took him in and bandaged him up. He still hasn't woken up yet", Twilight explained.

Fluttershy looked at her curiously. "Do you know who he is?"

"No, the initials on his bag say 'D.R.'. That's all I know to call him."

"Eurgahm…Wherz…whoerzm…" his voice came again wearily. The two mares looked at him. He was slowly waking up.

D.R.'s eyes opened slowly. He blinked the blurriness from them and focused in on the ponies that were watching him. He quickly shot up in fear. He wished he hadn't have done that.

Intense agony fired through every part of him. "Owwwww", he nearly cried. The pain was more than anything he had ever felt before in his life. He tried speaking, but only to be hushed by Twilight.

"Shhh, it's okay. We won't hurt you", she said softly.

He stopped trying to talk and instantly and watched her in wonder. This was the first filly, or living thing for that matter, that had ever looked at him with the caring eyes that she did. A blush sneaked its way over his cheeks and settled down across his nose. He quickly looked away, searching for something else to examine other than her face.

Fluttershy moved forward. "Can you tell us your name?"

"Uhh…D-Dream Run-n-ner", he strained. His voice was shaky from the pain, but behind that sat curiosity.

"Can you tell us what happened to you Dream Runner?" Twilight asked. She immediately regretted asking that. If it brought back painful memories, it could hurt him even more.

Dream Runner thought for a second. The last thing he could remember was entering that forest. Everything after that was full of the black, unforgiving darkness of blocked memories. He cursed himself for being such a coward.

He shook his head. "I don't remember."

Twilight silently sighed. His eyes were fixed on hers for a moment. The warm brown made her heart decide to skip over several beats. She quickly turned so that Fluttershy wouldn't see her blush. It didn't work; Fluttershy had caught a glimpse before she looked away.

"That's okay", said Fluttershy, "It may be for the best that you don't."

Dream nodded. He remained silent, partly from the pain, partly from shock, and partly from the anxiety of being in the presence of two girls. Redness crept back to his face. Dream Runner tried desperately to think of something to start a conversation with.

"Where am I?" he inquired. The smiles that came from them didn't help his blush, but they sure did tell him he was in good hooves. They were the first friendly, non-evil smiles that he'd seen in long time.

"You are in the Ponyville Library. I'm Twilight Sparkle", the librarian stated. She offered a hoof to him and he awkwardly shook it. He caught his first real detailed look at the lavender unicorn's eyes. His heart must have stopped completely when he saw just how beautiful her violet eyes were. He tried to jumpstart it by looking away, but his head would not move, nor would his hoof let go of hers.

The unicorn didn't want to let go, but she didn't want to hold his hoof in front of her friend. "Um…Dream Runner, may I have my hoof back?"

He shook himself from his reverie. "S-sorry, Twilight, forgive me."

"Oh, it's okay."

"It's just that…I haven't been in the presence of such hospitality in all my life. I don't know how to react to it other than awe", he explained. He looked at the floor, remembering how harshly he was treated by others in the past.

"Oh, you poor thing", Fluttershy cooed.

Dream Runner looked at her. He stuck out his hoof. Blushing, as was her gentle nature, she shook it. By now she was treating him as a colt, rather than an injured individual, so her shyness had returned.

"I'm Fluttershy", she said barely above a whisper.

"It's nice to meet you Fluttershy", he said.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Twilight staring at Dream Runner again. She smiled.

"Twilight, I'm going to go home. I'm sure Dream Runner needs his rest", the nature-loving Pegasus stated. "I can find a way to make Angel get some sleep."

"Good night", Twilight said, walking her to the door.

"Good night."

As she turned to leave, Twilight could have sworn that Fluttershy gave her the smallest of winks. She shrugged it off as a trick of the light and walked Fluttershy to the door.

As they were saying their goodbyes, Dream Runner was trying to get a clear thought to form in his head. The pain made it hard to think, let alone sit up, but he needed to. He wanted to show Twilight that he wasn't weak.

"How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?", Twilight asked, having returned from the door.

"Just…thirsty", he gasped. The pain was going to give Dream a run for his money. He gritted his teeth and took it.

"I'll be right back."

"Wait."

"Yes?"

Dream Runner pulled together all of his remaining strength and dared to stand. He got down from the couch. Once on his full weight, he collapsed, unable to stand the enormous jolts of pain that ran through his legs. It was so unbearable that he couldn't even mutter a sound of agony.

"Are you okay?!" Twilight exclaimed. He couldn't even muster a single word, so she used her magic to set him back on the couch.

"No, please, let me-"

Twilight hushed him with a raised hoof. "I won't let you hurt yourself any further." Her voice was stern, almost scolding. "Now, let me get you that drink."

With nothing left to do, Dream Runner closed his eyes and started to think. He wanted very badly to be able to walk, but it wasn't going to happen. Then he remembered his secret weapon. He reached around him. Sheer terror hit him when he grabbed nothing but air. He frantically started to look around for it.

"Where is it? It's gotta be here!" he panicked.

"Hey, hey!" Twilight shouted, seeing him straining to get up. He stopped, shaking with fear.

"M-m-my satchel, w-w-where is it?" he stammered. His eyes were as wide as eyes could go and his breathing could have out flown Rainbow Dash.

"Don't worry, it's safe", Twilight said softly.

The Pegasus relaxed, he knew he could trust Twilight. If she said it was okay, then by Celestia it was okay.

Twilight used her magic and pushed a glass of water up to him. He sipped it through the straw that Twilight set in it.

"Ahh", he sighed, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Can I have my satchel now?" He looked at her. His face was hard to resist, especially since he looked so sad about not having it.

Twilight couldn't resist. He was just so shy and innocent. Her horn glowed and the khaki bag floated from upstairs into his awaiting hooves.

He started to dig through it, going deeper and deeper until half of his body had disappeared within it. Twilight heard the clanging of bottles and the clattering of metal as he rummaged through the bag. Something inside it slammed. "Ow! I'm fine Twilight, I just hit my head on a wood carving."

Twilight was about to pull him back out in fear that he would hurt himself again, but he had just finished as her horn started to tingle

"There you are!" He announced. The pain in his chest made him stifle, but it wouldn't matter in a few moments.

He came back with a vile in his mouth. It was small, with a cork to seal the green liquid inside. He tore off the cork and quickly gulped down the potion.

"Ugh", he gagged, "I hate the taste of that stuff." His eyes squeezed shut and he stuck out his tongue in disgust.

His bruises and other injuries started to fade and heal. It was only a matter of seconds before they were completely gone.

"What was that", Twilight asked, amazed, though slightly amused at his "ugh"s and "ack"s. She had to suppress a few giggles.

"Ack…A special healing potion", he said. He looked back into his satchel. "And by the looks of it, my last one. Ugh."

"Healing potion?" she asked.

"I'm very educated in the…ugh…study of medicinal potions and alchemy", he explained. He cringed again, before putting the vile back into his bag. "You have to…ugh…know the type of medicines I do in order to be a Dream Chaser."

Twilight's ears perked up. "Dream Chaser? What is that?"

"I'll explain later, but for now…" he started, hopping down and shaking his bandages off, "I would like some sleep. The potion I drank really makes you sleepy."

"Oh, okay." Twilight smiled gently.

She took his standing as a chance to get a closer look at him. He was about two inches shorter than she was. He had no muscles whatsoever. He was a scrawny colt, and he didn't look to be very strong. His Cutie Mark was half covered by his wings, but she assumed it was a dream cloud with a map inside it. His mane and tail were very peculiar. They were both dark blue, without the grey that his coat carried. His mane was somewhat mid length and was fashioned so that it barely covered the tops of his eyes and ran down his neck and curled into him slightly. It kinda looked mareish, but at the same time, coltish. His tail was simply spiked outward. The peculiar thing was that they both had pink stripes running perfectly through the middle of them. In her eyes, he was still handsome.

All the staring Dream Runner was getting from Twilight caused him to shy away, his face red again. He couldn't handle the attention of mares much. He lay back down on the couch and yawned.

"I have a spare bed upstairs", Twilight said, "Why don't you come and sleep in it?"

The invitation was one of the best offers he had ever gotten. He nodded gratefully.

Twilight motioned for him to follow her. She used her magic to put the bandages on the floor into the nearest trash bin.

Dream Runner gasped as he saw that the spare bed was directly across from hers. He had never slept in the same room with a filly before, and his nerves were kicked into overdrive as he tried to process it.

"Wait…you…me…sleep…same room?" he sputtered.

"Yes, is that okay", Twilight asked, nervous at how he was shaking.

He shook his head hard. "Yes, it's fine. I haven't slept in an actual bed in a long time."

"Is that so?" Twilight cocked her head at him.

He strained as hard as he could not to let his nervousness get the better of him. He nodded. "When you're on the road like I am, you don't get to sleep on anything short of a pile of rocks."

Twilight gave him a look of sympathy.

He chuckled, "I'm used to it though."

Her response was a nod, and she moved to her bed, sleepily. Twilight didn't notice how tired she was until she finally thought of it. On nothing but impulse, Dream Runner dashed forward and pulled back the blanket for her.

"What?"

"Consider it a small token of gratitude for watching me. I'll think of another way to thank you better later", he said from the corner of his mouth.

She nodded, too tired to say anything. She lay down and he pulled the blanket over her. To add to her surprise, he took the extra time to tuck her in snuggly. _He's so sweet_, she thought.

"Good night", Dream yawned. He walked back over to the other bed and plopped down.

"Good night, Dream Runner.


	2. A Walk Around Town

A Walk Around Town

The next morning, or, rather, _late _the next morning, Twilight woke up to the welcoming smell of a daisy sandwich. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the bright sunlight that flooded her room through the window that was supposed to be covered by the curtains somepony had opened. She blinked at the sudden brightness and let her eyes adjust. The sandwich was placed on her nightstand.

She sat up and yawned groggily. Her thoughts were still in shambles from just waking up, so she didn't notice the neatly made bed that sat against the opposite wall. She looked at the sandwich. Her belly growled.

"Haha! I guess I missed dinner last night. It sure looks good", Twilight laughed. She levitated the sandwich over to her and began to satisfy her empty tummy. She was right when she said it looked good. Whoever made it sure knew what they were doing.

When she had the satisfaction of a full stomach, Twilight quickly made her bed and turned to see that the guest bed was empty. She would have freaked out, if she didn't see Dream Runner's satchel lying in the middle of the bed.

She heard movement downstairs and decided to check it out. It was brighter on the ground floor. Somepony must have opened all of the windows in the library. The air downstairs was also crisper, as if all of the dust had been removed from the library. The surprises kept getting bigger as Twilight saw more of the first floor.

Everything was spotless, not a book out of place, not a dust bunny to be found. And sitting happily on her favorite reading couch, was Dream Runner, a pile of books beside him and one open in front of him. She blushed upon seeing him. He was so cute sitting there. She shook the thought from her head.

"Dreams are a representation of what a pony experiences in life and thoughts. The most bizarre dreams are said to be real life experiences just torn down and rebuilt into what we want to see most, or fear most", he read. He sighed, "If only that were true for me."

He placed the book atop the pile. Only when he walked back to the shelf for another book did he notice Twilight.

"I was wondering when you would wake up." He smiled warmly. "You can thank Spike for the sandwich. He said that daisies are one of your favorites, so I made it for you."

"You met Spike?"

"Yeah. He scared me at first. But that was before he told me he wouldn't eat me", Dream explained.

Twilight giggled.

"I thought you might laugh at that", he grinned.

"Did you clean up the library while I was sleeping?" she asked. He grinned even wider, glad she was on the other side of the room.

"I said I would find a better way to thank you."

"You didn't have to do this."

He shook his head. "You brought me in and took care of me. I'm in your debt."

"No, really, you've done too much already."

The Pegasus sighed. He didn't want to argue, so he started to put the books he collected back in their rightful places.

To come up with a conversation, Twilight brought up what Dream mentioned the night before. "So, Dream Runner, will you tell me what a Dream Chaser is?" Twilight asked.

He squeezed the final book into position on the shelf. "Sure."

Twilight sat on the couch and listened to his explanation.

He took a deep breath, unsure about he should go about it. "Okay. A Dream Chaser is a pony that has a special Dream Talent. The talent will tell what kind of Chaser that pony will become. I don't know what other Dream Talents there are outside my own. I didn't read that far into it. Anyway, no matter what Dream Talent a Chaser has, they have to follow and abide by it. I have the Dream Talents of Forecast and Scope.

"Forecast dreams tell me the future and where I have to travel next. If it rains in a Forecast dream, then it will rain. If I get hurt, well, I get hurt. Scope dreams pull me into others' dreams. I don't exactly have to follow those dreams. There isn't much use for that Talent unless you want to spy on what others dream about. It's weird, because a Dream Chaser is only supposed to have one Dream Talent. That's why I always read about dreams, to find an explanation. I can choose which Talent Dream to have before I sleep, but I have to follow which happens in either of them." The only reason the Pegasus wasn't blushing is because he didn't see Twilight as a mare. He instead saw a listener.

"So you came here because your dreams said to?" Twilight scratched her head, trying to put everything he just said together. If she had to be honest, he didn't exactly explain it very clearly.

"The last Forecast dream I had showed me traveling east. I never got to see my destination, so I just walked east until I came to a forest. The next thing I knew, I woke up in here", he answered.

"Forest? You mean the Everfree Forest?" Twilight asked. It only made since. It was west of Ponyville.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not from around here."

"It had to be. That would explain why you were in such a bad condition last night."

"Maybe so. I know that I can't stay for long. My dreams will eventually tell me to move on."

Twilight frowned at this. "You don't ever get lonely?" The unicorn looked at him curiously.

"No. In fact, I'm actually quite used to it", he shrugged. "I've been alone for as long as I can remember. No friends, no family."

"That's so sad." Twilight said. "Not even a single friend?"

He shook his head and looked at the floor. Sadness had finally hit his heart. Twilight smiled. For some odd reason, she moved over and hugged him. Instantly, he turned red as a tomato.

Twilight hugged him for several seconds, slightly squeezing him harder. He was so warm. It was meant to be a comforting hug, but she knew that deep down she wanted it to be more than that. All of the mixed feelings she had for him pointed to one thing. She wasn't even going to deny it. This colt needed friendship and love. And she was going to give it to him.

"Twilight, what are you doing?" Dream managed to ask.

"I'm just trying to make you feel better", she said, finally letting go and taking a step back. A slight pink hotspot settled on her cheeks.

He waved a hoof in the air. "Like I said: 'I'm used to it.'"

Twilight thought a second. She needed to get to know him a little better. So she came up with a way to talk with him about that subject.

"Do you want to go see the rest of Ponyville", she asked.

Dream Runner thought it over. "Sure Twilight, but I need my satchel first."

The Element of Magic silently cheered. "Okay, I'll close up the library while you get it."

Her horn glowed and so did all the windows that were in the library. She snapped them shut. Dream Runner returned with his satchel slung over his shoulder and held in place at his side with his right wing. Twilight noticed that underneath his initials was an elm leaf. It was familiar, but she couldn't place the emblem. She decided not to think about it for the moment and invited Dream Runner to the now open door.

The two exited the library and entered the warm, sunlit afternoon. A nice breeze was blowing over them, and Dream Runner couldn't help but close his eyes and take a big whiff of the fresh air.

"Ahh, there's nothing better than feeling the wind running through your mane", he sighed.

"Oh, speaking of your mane", Twilight said, referring to the light pink stripes.

He exhaled grimly. "I suppose you want to make fun of it. You wouldn't be the first", he replied solemnly. His face soured a bit.

"No, not at all. I just want to say it's very unique. Not many colts have a color pattern like yours", Twilight said quickly.

He brightened a little. "Really? I didn't think that anypony would find a way to compliment it. Thanks."

Twilight beamed. She beckoned for him to follow her and they held a light conversation along the way. The Pegasus stared in awe at some of the buildings and shops as they headed to their first destination. Many of the residents turned to look at Twilight and her new companion. He shyly walked close to her to try to seem less noticeable.

Then, out of the blue—or better yet, out of the pink—the inevitable happened. A pink, sugar-fueled blur hit Dream Runner with full force and sent him rolling. After the dust settled, it was revealed that a certain, party-loving pony was standing on top of him, leaving the poor colt confused and terrified. She looked at him curiously.

Dream Runner cowered under her and was shuddering hard. He was nearly crying.

"Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me", he whimpered over and over again.

Luckily, Twilight came to his rescue. She pulled Pinkie Pie off of the Dream Chaser and a few yards away from him.

"Twilight who is that?" she inquired. She peered over Twilight to see Dream standing up, shaking.

"He's a traveler that's staying with me", answered the unicorn, "and he's very sensitive."

"Oh, gotcha Twilight!" Pinkie rushed back over to him. Dream flinched and dashed past her and behind Twilight for protection against the energetic pony.

"It's okay, Dream Runner. Pinkie Pie may have a rough way of meeting new ponies, but she doesn't bite", Twilight half-whispered.

Dream was still shook up by the event, but he hesitantly moved around to meet Pinkie Pie. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"I knew you were new in town! I know everypony in Ponyville! Are you staying long? Did you move here? What's your name?!" she asked at the top of her lungs.

"I'm Dream Runner", he said softly, "It's nice to meet you…"

She held out a hoof, "I'm Pinkie Pie! I love making new friends! That reminds me!" Before Dream Runner could even start to raise his hoof to shake hers, she took off, no doubt heading for her room in Sugarcube Corner.

"That's Pinkie Pie for you", sighed Twilight. "Shall we continue?"

He blinked, "S-sure Twilight."

"I'm sorry you had to meet her like that."

Dream faked a relaxed chuckled, "It wouldn't be my first time getting pounced on. I'm glad that it was a friendly tackle." Then he added under his breath, "Not that I knew what one was until now…"

They walked on in silence. Until they came upon Ponyville's antique shop. Dream stopped and dashed over to peer into the display window.

"Twilight, can we?" he asked brightly.

Twilight held in a giggle. "You sound like a filly outside a candy store", she commented, "But sure, of course."

He walked in first, and she trailed behind.

"Welcome to Old Antiques, where new arrivals are just as old as me!" greeted the salespony behind the counter.

Dream Runner poured over the shelves, looking for any rare objects. Twilight watched him in amusement. His smile was one of pure excitement.

"Would that be your coltfriend?" the salespony asked.

Twilight blushed a few shades of pink at the thought. "No, just a friend. I'm showing him around."

"Oh, that's too bad. You two would make a very cute couple." The salespony watched the overexcited Pegasus from behind her glasses. "A very energetic one, isn't he?"

"I've never seen him like this", Twilight replied, ignoring the previous comment, "One minute he's quiet and shy, and now…"

"Oh, hohoho! It seems we have a treasure hunter in our presence", the pale blue pony laughed, "They tend to do that around items of age and rarity such as the ones here."

Dream Runner was only focused on finding a very rare item he had been hunting for a very long time. The odds of one being here were almost zero to none, but that wouldn't stop him from looking. He zipped passed a shelf, only to slowly walk back and gaze at a small, glowing white orb. He examined it, making sure it was the real thing. It was just barely bigger than a gumball and was sitting in a ruby red case. A ghostly white aura was swirling around inside it. He slid it onto his wing and carried it to the counter.

"I would like this", he stated, holding the small box out on his wing.

"I'm very surprised that somepony would take interest in that. That small sphere has been in my shop for quite some time. However, it is rather expensive…" the shopkeeper said.

Dream set the case on the counter. "I have no money, but I am willing to trade." He opened his satchel and started to dig for something of equal value. A loud banging noise came from within it. "I'm okay", he called. "Stupid shelf…"

"I don't think that-" she started to protest. Her mouth stopped in shock of what Dream Runner had pulled from his satchel.

He held in his mouth—amazingly—a gold nugget that was about the size of a basketball. He strained his neck as he placed it on the counter. "Pure gold, no other metals mixed in. I hope that will be enough to trade."

"How did you get that?" Twilight asked in amazement. "Better yet, how did that even fit in your bag?"

"Cave exploring. When you do it as often as I do, you come across a few abandoned mineshafts." He beamed proudly. "And to answer your second question, my satchel is enchanted. It can carry almost an infinite number of objects. How do you think I manage to fit inside it all the time?"

Twilight nodded in comprehension. Enchanted clothes and equipment weren't exactly rare, but it wasn't as if everypony carried them around.

"I think that my whole shop is worth less than this nugget! I can't possibly trade you—" the salespony started.

"Ma'am, if you knew exactly what this little pebble is, you would understand", he interjected.

"If you insist…then it's yours", she said.

Dream Runner nodded a "thank you" and put the case that contained the orb into his satchel.

"What exactly could that thing be for you to trade a clump of gold that big for?" Twilight asked.

They were outside now, and continuing to Twilight's first decided destination. She watched him walk with pride. It certainly was valuable whatever it was.

He looked around at how busy it was getting around them. "I'll tell you later", Dream said, now shy again. The stares were starting to grow more intense as they ventured deeper into the marketplace. He couldn't fight the heat that burned his cheeks. They were as red as can be, mainly because he was walking so close to Twilight. Every so many feet, their flanks would brush, causing them to move away slightly.

Dream Runner was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the new shop in front of them. He almost bumped into Twilight, who managed to get ahead of him.

"Here we are", Twilight announced.

He looked up to see a very decorated and clean building. "Uh…why would you bring me to a _dress_ shop?"

His tone almost made Twilight laugh. He sounded like she was going to force him into a dress! "This is Carousel Boutique. I want you to meet one of my friends. She owns the shop."

"Oh, that's better", he sighed in relief.

Twilight rolled her eyes sarcastically. "After you."

"No, mares first", he replied. He moved and held the door open for her.

"You're such a gentlecolt."

"Thanks." He smiled, blushing lightly.

The bell rang as they entered the shop.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique—oh! Twilight, how nice of you to stop by!" Rarity quickly crossed the boutique and hugged her fellow Element.

Dream Runner tried to make himself as small as possible. He wished Twilight's friends weren't so loud and energetic. Well, with the exception of Fluttershy.

Rarity peered over Twilight's head to see Dream Runner sitting as quietly as he could. "Twilight, who is this?"

"Rarity, I want you to meet my new friend. This is Dream Runner. He's going to be staying at the library with me so I decided to show him around."

"Hi." Dream whispered.

"Oh, there's no reason to be shy I assure you. I'm no stranger." Rarity said. She held out her hoof. "I am Rarity."

"Dream Runner. It's very nice to meet you", Dream replied.

Rarity noticed his mane. "Are these your natural colors?" She held part of his mane up in her hoof, admiring the shades.

Dream nodded. "Most ponies make fun of me for it…"

"They must indeed be blind. These mixed hues are unquestionably rare. Certainly, a pattern such as this should only be complimented. Why, I've never seen such—"

"Pardon me Rarity, but I think Dream gets the point." Twilight grinned.

Dream was smiling and staring off into space.

"Come on, Dream, let's go meet the others. It was nice seeing you Rarity." Twilight pulled Dream along with her to the door. "Sorry to leave so soon."

"It's fine Twilight. It was nice to see you too, Twilight. I hope to see the two of you again soon!" Rarity called as the door to the boutique closed.

Dream didn't say anything as they walked again through Ponyville.

Twilight decided to make conversation. "How do you like the town so far, Dream Runner?"

"It's very peaceful. I would love to live here." He looked at Twilight and smiled.

"Then why don't you? There's room in the library. I'm sure we can squeeze you in as the assistant librarian." Twilight waited for his answer anxiously.

"I wish I could", he said sadly. Dream stopped. "And I will, so long as I don't have a Forecast Dream that tells me to move on. It's unlikely though. Whenever I find something that makes me even a little happy, a Forecast Dream comes along and ruins it for me."

"Can't you just ignore them?" The unicorn asked.

He shook his head. "I can't. It's like a curse. If I try to ignore it, my body will act on its own to fulfill the dream. I have no choice."

"Is there a way to break this…curse?" Twilight asked, ignoring the funny feeling the word left on her tongue.

"Not that I know of."

Twilight pondered their options for a moment. "I know!" Twilight exclaimed. "I can ask the Princess. She'll definitely know how!"

"Princess…Do you mean Princess Celestia?" Dream stared in awe.

"Yes. I happen to be her most faithful student!" Twilight smiled brightly at him.

Dream's cheeks became violet as the pink of a blush settled on them. Twilight's smile always made him think that she only smiled for him.

"Where are we going next?" he asked.

"I'm going to introduce you to my good friend Applejack. You shouldn't have to worry, she isn't as energetic as Pinkie Pie. She does like to make new friends, so I may have to speak with her before you actually meet her." Twilight explained.

Dream nodded. A sweet smell drifted to his nose. He stopped, wondering just what that could have been. He looked around, but didn't see a bakery nearby, nor did he spot any fruit stands or shops. He tested the direction of the wind. It was blowing lightly into his face. He looked around again, but chose to dismiss it after seeing nothing. Twilight was starting to gain some distance and he didn't want to be stuck alone in a town he had just arrived in.

He quickly made it next to her side again. She hadn't noticed he was gone. It seemed that the more they walked around, the more stares that the other ponies gave them. The attention was actually starting to frighten the Pegasus. He moved even closer to Twilight until she had no choice but to point it out.

"Dream Runner, why are you walking so close to me?" She looked down at him.

He smiled shyly. "I-It's just that all the stares we're getting are scaring me."

That was so cute that Twilight really had to subdue a giggle.

"It's okay, Dream. They're just…curious. Ponyville is so small that a new pony is easily recognized", Twilight explained.

"Oh", Dream replied. He moved a couple inches away from Twilight, but still made sure to stay close enough for protection.

They continued through the town until they came upon an apple cart.

"Thank y'all, come again, ya here." Applejack called to a customer who was walking away with some apples. She noticed the unicorn and smiled wide. "Twilight! Did y'all come all the way to Stirrup Street just to visit me?"

As the two walked nearer, she noticed the skittish Pegasus that hugged Twilight's right side.

"Well, howdy there!" Applejack darted over, only to be held back by Twilight.

"Applejack, you have to be gentle around him. He's very panicky." Twilight whispered to Applejack.

"Gotcha Twi'", Applejack replied.

Applejack approached the Pegasus.

"Howdy, Ah'm Applejack", the Earth pony greeted.

Dream shook her hoof. "I'm Dream Runner", he whispered.

"Now don't be shy. Ah don't bite", Applejack laughed.

Dream managed a smile. "Neither do I. Much."

The three snickered at his poorly made joke.

"So…Applejack, you sell apples?" he asked, trying to make small talk. Very small talk.

"You bet your tail Ah do!"

Applejack looked over at Twilight. She smiled after seeing the twinkle in the unicorn's eyes as she watched the Pegasus. "Dream Runner, do you mahnd if Ah have a little talk with Twilight for a sec?"

"No, not at all." He sat, and rummaged through his satchel. Something inside crashed. "Ouch! I'm fine! …dumb statue."

"What is it, Applejack?" Twilight said after the Earth pony pulled her aside.

"So…when are you going to tell'im?" Applejack flashed Twilight a sly smile.

"Tell him what?" Twilight tried to keep her cool. She knew playing dumb with Applejack would only fly about as far as Rainbow Dash with a sprained wing.

"C'mon Twi'. I seen the way you were lookin' at'im. Go on and tell'im." Applejack nodded towards Dream Runner, who was inspecting the orb that he bought earlier.

"No, I don't think the time is right." Twilight smiled sheepishly in the direction of the Pegasus in question. "I'll tell him when it is."

Applejack looked at her sternly. "You'd better, or Ah'll do it for you", she threatened. She quickly brightened up. "Haha! Ah'm just messin' with y'all Twilight!"

The librarian sighed in relief. "That wasn't very nice, Applejack."

"Heehee! Ah know, but y'all shoulda seen the look on your face!" she laughed. Deciding playtime was over, she turned around and started back to work. "It was nahce meetin' y'all, but Ah hafta be gettin' back to the cart", Applejack said as she passed Dream Runner. "Ah'll see y'all later!"

Before Twilight and Dream turned, the unicorn saw Applejack give her another look. She sighed. As far as she knew one of her friends could see right through her.

"Where to now?" Dream asked.

"Now we're going to see my friend Rainbow Dash", Twilight replied. She knew she could persuade Rainbow Dash to be calm around Dream Runner.

Nothing could go wrong.


	3. The Pegasus That Can't

The Pegasus That Can't...

Twilight guided Dream Runner away from the busiest part of town to the quieter hills of Ponyville. They soon reached a meadow not far from the town's southern entrance. It was so quiet that Dream could even hear his heartbeat. He was following closely behind Twilight, taking in the sights around them.

"Rainbow Dash usually practices out here when she's not on weather patrol", Twilight explained. "…Or taking a nap."

"What does she practice?" Dream asked. He sounded more confident and brave now, only because they were out of the streets of town.

Twilight decided not to tell him yet. "Come sit on this hill and you'll find out." She smiled back at him as he followed her to the only hill in the meadow.

Dream Runner followed Twilight's gaze to the sky, expecting to see something. There was nothing to see but a few clouds and a brilliant clear blue sky. Dream kept looking, trying to focus his eyes to the troposphere. When nothing came to be seen, Dream looked at Twilight again. He took in her features in detail for the first time. He noticed how the deep purple and pink stripes in her mane made it stand out. The way her eyes always held curiosity and assurance gave him a small boost of confidence. Her smile was—

He quickly shook his head. _I can't fall in love again. Not after what happened last time… _he thought. He had to get his mind off of he got an idea.

"Twilight", he said, reaching into his satchel. Another crash made Twilight roll her eyes. He pulled the ruby case that held the little sphere he bought earlier. "You asked about this earlier."

Twilight watched him as he opened the box and revealed the orb it held. She couldn't speak due to her captivation by its glowing light.

"This", Dream began, "is an Emotion Orb. As the name suggests, they hold emotions. In ancient Equestria, legends state that the tenth ruler of the lands created these in order to maintain balance in the world of emotions. The orbs were made to hold the excess amount of each emotion, whether it be happiness, anger, love…etcetera. You see, there was so much of each emotion, that there weren't enough ponies to hold them. The leftover emotions in turn tried to find a way to present themselves, so they pushed each other in and out of ponies. The ponies only showed whatever feeling had pushed itself into them, and many times it was a negative one.

"The great King Sun Dawn found a way to hold these emotions. He created twenty orbs to hold and prevent them from selfishly taking over ponies. Ever since I heard of the legend, I've been searching for the orbs. I currently have eight of them. I have to research into it, but I think this is the Orb of Tranquility."

"That's incredible", Twilight said, "And you've been doing this with your…uh, problem?"

"You mean my curse", he asked. "Don't worry Twilight, it's fine. It doesn't offend me."

"Well, it's not that. I don't particularly believe in curses. I—"

He chuckled softly, "No, no…I know that curses don't exist. What I meant by curse was 'extreme burden'. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

"It's fine, Dream", Twilight replied shyly. His chuckle was adorable!

Neither could say anything more before something tore through the air above them at a supersonic speed. The tailwind nearly tossed them off the hill they sat on. Dream used his wing to hold Twilight in place and held onto the Emotion Orb and his satchel.

The wind stopped, and Twilight recovered first. "There she is!" she shouted. "Dream, look, it's Rainbow Dash!"

Dream had to force his eyes to open and look up. He scanned the sky and saw something tearing through it. It was doing swirls, loop de loops, corkscrews, and tricks that he couldn't even name. He found it hard to focus on Rainbow Dash with the way she would go in one direction and then suddenly dart back the other way. She flew around and through clouds, bringing them to a big area with her tailwind. After she had fifteen clouds gathered, she collected them into one giant cloud, and began to fly around it at a blurring speed. The cloud twisted up into a point until it looked like a giant ice-cream cone in the air.

Rainbow Dash spotted her two spectators and flew down to complete her trick. She landed hard and stood up on her back legs. "Mares and gentlecolts, Rainbow Dash's Sundae Special!" she boasted proudly.

"Wow! I've never seen flying come even close to what you just did!" Dream Runner cheered in excitement.

_Rainbow Dash's aerial acrobatics is definitely something to marvel if Dream Runner could be coaxed to shout in amazement, _Twilight thought.

"And I'm the only one that can do it", Rainbow bragged. She gave the new Pegasus a weird look. "Who are you anyway?"

Instantly, he lost his excitement. "Oh…I'm Dream Runner. I'm staying at Twilight's for a few days", Dream said more softly.

"I'm Rainbow Dash. The most fantastic flyer to come out of Coudsdale!" She shook his hoof.

Almost instantly she forgot about him and turned to the third pony on the hill. "Twilight, did the next Daring Do book get back to the library, yet?"

"Not yet, Rainbow Dash."

Taking their distraction to his advantage, Dream snuck the Emotion Orb into his satchel. He fastened it to himself and turned to hear Rainbow Dash finish talking about how she really wanted to read about Daring's next adventure.

"Excuse me, Rainbow Dash, but what book are you waiting to read?" Dream asked.

"Only Daring Do's most awesome adventure yet! Daring Do and the Werewolf's Ward!" Rainbow Dash performed a backflip in delight.

Dream nodded and reached into his satchel. The two mares watched him as he dug deeper into it and jumped when something crashed loudly. "Oww! …Dumb vase." Dream reemerged from his satchel with a book in his mouth. He tossed it to Rainbow Dash. "There you go."

Rainbow Dash caught it and stared at the cover of the book. Then she shot straight up, squealing, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I've been waiting for this forever!"

"You're welcome." Dream watched as she did tricks in the air as she held the book close to her.

"That was really nice of you, Dream Runner", Twilight said, "That book is very hard to come by."

"I've read it three times already; besides, Rainbow Dash has been waiting a long time to read it." He closed his satchel and watched Rainbow Dash still flying and cheerfully celebrating.

She landed, still hugging the book close. She smiled at him. Unable to think of anything else to say, she said the most Rainbow Dash thing she could. "You wanna race?"

Dream jumped, "Uh, n-no thanks…"

"Oh, come on, I'll go easy on you for giving me the book", Rainbow Dash persuaded.

"No, I really don't…"

Twilight decided to try to boost his confidence. "It's okay, Dream Runner. It'll only be me watching. I'm sure you can win."

"No…I really can't…" It seemed that Dream got quieter and quieter as they kept pushing him.

"What's wrong? Why don't you want to race me?" Rainbow Dash flew up to him, somewhat offended.

Twilight started to feel bad for him. "Rainbow Dash, I don't think Dream Runner really feels comfortable racing."

"It's not that, Twilight", Dream mumbled.

"What is it then? You think you're so good you don't have to race me?"

"No, I would like to race, but—"

"But what?"

Twilight was starting to get aggravated. "Rainbow Dash!"

Dream Runner murmured something.

"What", Rainbow asked.

"I can't…" Dream whispered.

"What?!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I can't fly alright!" Dream cried. He wailed, and then took off, running as fast as he could away from them.

Rainbow Dash stared after him, stunned. What had she done?

Twilight glared at her. "You should be ashamed of yourself." The unicorn dashed after Dream.

Rainbow Dash looked at the book Dream let her borrow. Then she looked down at the ground, chagrinned. She glanced up to see Twilight disappearing behind the tree line. She knew how to make up for her big mouth; she just hoped that Dream would let her.

"Dream! Wait!" Twilight called. She was barely managing to keep up with the Pegasus. That colt could run. He was gaining ground way faster than she was. When his tail was just disappearing, she focused her magic and used a Teleportation Spell. In an instant, she appeared in front of him.

Having no intention to stop, Dream left the ground. He jumped as high as he could. He sailed over her and landed without even a stumble. Twilight darted after him again, calling his name with no positive results. Then she came up with a plan. She teleported in front of Dream again. This time, when he jumped over her, she used her magic to hold him in place above her. She gently set him down.

He collapsed in a heap when she let him go, still sobbing.

"Dream…" Twilight said softly, "It's going to be okay…"

Just her voice managed to calm him down. Something about it, something he couldn't explain made him feel so much better. He stood up and wiped his face. He turned to look at her. His tears had stopped flowing, and what was left of them was starting to crust on his face. "I know everything will be…It's just that when I think about not flying…I can't help but feel ashamed of being the only Pegasus with fully developed wings that can't fly. I usually get over it pretty quickly though…"

Twilight wiped the crusty tears from his face. "I'm sorry about Rainbow Dash…She usually doesn't behave that way."

Dream waved his hoof in the air, "She's a good pony at heart. I can tell. It wasn't her that made me run. It was past experiences."

"I'm sorry, regardless. Let's go. I'm sure some lunch will cheer you up", Twilight offered.

His answer was only a nod.

The walk back into the heart of Ponyville was silent. Twilight couldn't think of anything reasonable to say to Dream without running the risk of setting the fragile Pegasus off. Dream was too busy thinking about the Emotion Orb to talk. He may have been completely fine now, but Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that something was still bothering him.

When they past several restaurants, Twilight was reminded of her idea. She finally spoke up.

"Dream, what would you like for lunch?" She watched as he stopped and thought about it.

"Hmm…I wouldn't mind a juniper salad", he answered, and then more softly, "…if that's okay."

"I know just the place!" She grabbed his hoof and pulled him back down the street. She stopped in front of a decent-looking diner. The sign out front read "Applebuck's"*.

Since it was the slow period just before everypony braked for lunch, they managed to get a table outside relatively quick. Their server gave them the menus, but they already had what they wanted picked out.

"Menus won't be necessary. I'll have a tulip and daffodil sandwich", Twilight said.

"I'd like a juniper salad, please", Dream said shyly.

The waitress wrote down their orders. "Okay, what would you like to drink while you wait?"

"Apple juice please." Twilight looked at Dream.

"Water", Dream said distantly.

Their server nodded and walked back inside.

Twilight noticed how Dream seemed to be in the clouds. "Hey, Dream Runner, is something on your mind?"

"Not really, I was just thinking about the Emotion Orb."

Twilight looked at him, she wanted to talk about his inability to fly, but she didn't want to bring it up again.

Dream, seeing her troubled expression, knew what she was thinking, and said, "Twilight, if you're wondering why I can't fly, I'll tell you. I have no problem with it…"

"If it brings up bad memories—" Twilight started.

"Twilight", Dream interrupted, "What's in the past is in the past. I'm not a pony to dwell on it. I only cry about it once. After that, I only look at the positive things that have come from it."

"Positive things?"

"Uh-huh, I think of all the things I can do with my wings instead of fly." He smiled, flexing his wings.

Twilight got curious. "Such as?"

"Well, I can hold my satchel in place, use them to hold things. I've climbed trees with them, and used them to run faster. Heh heh, I've even used them to swim. One time they helped me feel my way through a cave." Dream thought back, trying to find anything else his feathered appendages had helped him do.

"Wow, that's amazing", Twilight said, "Wings with many talents."

"Except flight", Dream snickered.

Twilight giggled slightly.

An awkward silence grew between them. They both looked away from the other, trying to find something to say.

"What's your favorite color?" Dream blurted. He blushed at the silly question.

"It's dark violet. You know, like the sky just after the sun sets?"

He nodded.

"What's yours?"

"Rose pink." Dream immediately hated himself for that. Why in Equestria would he just announce that to the whole diner?

If Twilight was stifling a giggle, he couldn't tell. She only smiled at him. "That's nice. Any particular reason why?"

"Umm…" Dream said nervously. His blush was starting to burn. "I-it reminds me of my favorite Emotion Orb."

"What would that be?" Twilight examined him to make sure he wasn't getting too nervous. She was just about to take back her question when Dream replied.

"Love…" Dream said so quietly that Fluttershy might have been impressed. "It was something that I never knew before."

"Was?" Twilight was extremely interested now. Had somepony helped him along with this? Who was it?

"Here you go!" There server had returned with their drinks. She levitated the two glasses and set them in front of the ponies.

Dream immediately began to sip his water.

"I just checked with the kitchen and your food is almost ready", the waitress said.

"Okay, thank you", Twilight replied.

The server nodded again.

Twilight turned back to Dream. He was still sipping his water. "Hey, save some for lunch."

"Sorry, it's just my mouth's extremely dry", Dream muttered.

"Twilight?"

They turned to see Rarity and Sweetie Belle walking out of the diner.

"Oh, hey Rarity."

"Hello again Rarity…"

"Fancy seeing the two of you here", Rarity said.

The sisters sat at a table next to Twilight and Dream's. Sweetie Belle eyed Dream intensely.

"Oh, where are my manners? Sweetie, this is Dream Runner. Dream Runner, this is my sister Sweetie Belle."

"Hello Sweetie Belle. It's nice to meet you", Dream said barely above a whisper.

"Same here."

Rarity quickly busied herself with the menu, which left Sweetie Belle to talk with Dream Runner. After a few minutes, his and Twilight's food had arrived.

"I haven't had a juniper in a long time", Dream commented before taking a bite out of his lunch.

"Are they your favorite?" Twilight asked.

He nodded. "In taste, color, and smell."

As Twilight ate her sandwich, she watched how Dream would take a big bite of his salad and somehow manage to savor it as he gulped it down. She was so absorbed in watching him, that she hadn't even notice that her plate was clean when she looked down to see how much she had eaten. Dream was just finishing up, and apparently Sweetie Belle scarfed down her lunch before Rarity.

The little filly watched how Twilight dreamily watched Dream Runner. She got curious and decided to ask a simple, innocent question. "Are you two colt and fillyfriend?"

The ponies in question froze and blushed hard. They both tried to stammer something out, but neither could, and they nearly started to babble incoherently if it wasn't for Rarity.

She saw how nervous Dream and Twilight were becoming and quickly acted. "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity scolded, "You can't simply ask somepony a private question like that. It's an incursion of—"

The younger sister rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry." Sweetie apologized before Rarity could finish her explanation. Immediately the filly forgot what had just happened when she saw an advertisement on the diner's window. She looked back to her sister and excitedly asked, "Hey, Sis, can we have chocolate cake for desert?!"

Rarity seized the distraction. "Of course you can, Sweetie."

All three of the older ponies sighed in relief for their own reasons. Twilight, however, wasn't exactly relieved. Rarity was giving her the same knowing—this time gentler—smile that Applejack had given her. Now two of her friends knew.

"I'm finished Twilight." Dream pushed his plate away from him and stood up. "I'll go pay."

"I don't think they take chunks of gold here", Twilight objected with a small laugh, "I'll pay."

Dream didn't want to argue, so he only nodded. "See you later, Rarity. It was nice meeting you Sweetie Belle."

"Goodbye Rarity."

Rarity waved goodbye. Sweetie Belle was too busy thinking about her cake to notice Twilight and Dream leaving.

"Okay, Dream, you ready to get back to the library?" Twilight asked when she walked out of the diner.

He nodded. "Yep. I was hoping to finish a book I started anyways."

"Which book?"

"'The Dreamer's Guide to Interpretation'."

Twilight nodded. "Is it very good?"

"I can't tell just yet, but I think it will be, yes."

They trotted off, headed for the library. Twilight wanted to get back quickly. The sun was starting to set and something told her that Pinkie Pie had a surprise set up at the library. It was just a small hunch, though.

When it came in sight, Dream stopped. He looked down. He couldn't keep it in any longer.

Twilight immediately took notice. "Dream, what's wrong?"

He sighed. "Twilight. Please sit down…"

"Dream, is something bothering you?" Twilight was beginning to worry.

"I'm going to tell you why I can't fly", he stated.

"Dream, you don't—"

He held up a hoof to silence her. "I know you're still curious. Besides, you have a right to know…It's simple and it doesn't hurt to tell. I promise it doesn't."

Twilight only nodded. He was obviously going to tell her whether she wanted to know or not. Maybe it was a good thing she still wanted to know.

He took a deep breath. "This story goes back to my very first memory. Do you remember when I told you how I've always traveled alone, no friends, no family?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, that's the worst part of being a Dream Chaser. When a pony becomes one, he or she is stripped of all memory of the life before. It's almost as if you're being born again with the exception of the basics. Dream Chasers are blank slates ready to start another life. They…We, have no pasts. I don't know how it is for other Dream Chasers, but my first moments of becoming a Chaser was waking up in a meadow somewhere. I didn't so much as even know my name. I am a very lucky Pegasus, though. You see, I had this with me."

He pulled off his satchel and placed it in front of him. "My satchel has been with me since my first moments in the new life. When I opened it for the first time, I found an information tag. It had my name, birthdate, and age on it, nothing else."

"Dream…"

He continued. "Even my flank was blank. I didn't even have my old Cutie Mark anymore, if I even had one at all. The only thing that was there was this."

He turned and showed Twilight his Cutie Mark. He pointed to the dream cloud. "This dream cloud is not a part of my Cutie Mark. It's a Dream Chaser's Mark. All Dream Chasers have one that surrounds the actual Cutie Mark. I earned my actual Cutie Mark a few months after I woke up" He paused, and then he chuckled. "Look at me. Here I am, beating around the bush. Anyway, aside from what I had just explained, I can't fly simply because I never learned. No pony was ever there to teach me how and I couldn't do it on my own. I just can't because I can't learn by myself. I've tried believe me, but with no success."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Dream…"

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

Twilight couldn't think of anything else to say, so she did what she thought was necessary. She hugged him…again. Dream froze, but only for a short moment. He surprised Twilight when he put his foreleg around her and hugged her back.

"Thanks for caring about me so much…" He whispered after they parted.

"No problem", she replied with a smile.

The two continued to the library, blushing the whole time.

Pinkie Pie watched them from one of the windows.

"Shhh! They're coming!" She squealed.

It was almost time.


	4. Cared About

Cared About

Dream Runner's body felt heavy when he came to. From somewhere, he could hear muffled voices speaking to him. Fuzzy shapes filled his vision as he began to open his eyes. The voices started to become clearer at the same time his eyes adjusted to the light. In a matter of moments he saw three ponies standing over him with looks of worry stuck to their faces. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and a third pony he didn't know were peering down at him. Something didn't make sense. One second, he was walking with Twilight into the library, and in the next second, well, this. It was all so confusing, so he decided to ask, "What happened?"

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but Pinkie Pie's mouth was a tad faster.

"When you came in we all yelled 'surprise!' for your Welcome to Ponyville Party, and you were so excited you passed out!" The pink pony exclaimed happily. "Then again, it's probably my fault. This is one of the biggest parties I've ever thrown! It's almost as big as the one I threw for—"

Pinkie Pie was muted out by a cupcake shoved into her mouth by the third pony in the group. "Here Pink, I think you need a sugar break."

"MMMMM!" She squealed with delight.

"Sorry Dream." Twilight gave him a hoof up. "I forgot about Pinkie Pie's eagerness to welcome new ponies. When we came in…well, you didn't even make it past the lights coming on."

Dream didn't say anything. He was too busy looking around at the army of welcoming ponies staring at him. He whimpered quietly.

The blue unicorn that had shoved the cupcake into Pinkie's mouth turned around to face the crowd. "Okay, everypony! Nothing to see here, go back to partying!"

They all obliged and dispersed into a swarm of disorganized chatter and socializing. Somepony pushed the play button on a stereo. A happy tune was thrown into the air. Many of the ponies started dancing to the music.

Dream, however, was one of the ponies that didn't move much. As a matter of fact he hopped around to the other side of Twilight and hid behind her. He gave the lavender unicorn a terrified expression.

_And to think about all the progress we were making with his socialness today…_She thought disappointedly.

"Twilight…" He said uneasily.

"Yes, Dream?"

"Since you're a unicorn, can you make me disappear please?"

To be honest, she didn't know whether to laugh or feel even worse for the colt. She answered with a frown, "Sorry, Dream Runner, but I can't."

"Oh…" He looked down sadly.

"Dream…would you like to meet some of my other friends?" Twilight tried. "I promise no pony will hurt you."

He nodded his head slowly. All of Twilight's friends were nice so far, so shouldn't the rest be too?

She smiled warmly. Looking around the library, she spotted Bon Bon conversing with Berry Punch and Roseluck near a nonfiction shelf. Dream looked over her shoulder and saw the trio of ponies laughing joyously.

"Follow me, Dream", she coaxed, trying her best to ignore his panic stricken face. She led the way through the crowd and to the three friends.

Dream followed as closely alongside her as he could. His whole side was touching hers. She didn't mind much, but Twilight knew he wouldn't be very sociable if he kept using her as a shield. She needed a way to get him to leave her side. You can't make friends if you're somepony's shadow.

"Hey, Twilight", Bon Bon greeted happily. She saw Dream Runner hiding behind the unicorn. "Aren't you the new arrival?"

He nodded meekly.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. "He's very shy", she whispered.

"Well, I have the perfect cure for that!" Bon Bon reached into her saddlebag and pulled three candies from it. They were blue, red, and yellow with different symbols printed to their wrappers.

She held them out to the jittery Pegasus. "Here ya go!"

Dream's ear twitched. He hesitantly took the treats from the Earth Pony and deposited them into his satchel. "…Thanks. Uh, I really like candy."

Twilight suppressed a giggle. "Dream Runner, I'd like you to meet Bon Bon, Berry Punch, and Roseluck. They own some of the most successful shops in Ponyville. Girls, I would like to introduce you to Dream Runner. He's an explorer."

"Ooh, tha's real intresting", Berry Punch stated. "I used to acksplore a tad bit meself. Never was very good…"

The Pegasus perked up a little. "Well…" Dream started, "I'm more of a cave and ruins explorer. Like a myth hunter."

"I think my cousin did something like that before botany", Rose contributed. "He went with archeological teams though."

Dream steadily became more interested in these ponies. Between the small amount of exploring and the sweets, he found that these ponies were quite the company. He even poked his head above Twilight to talk with them. Of course he did keep his unicorn shield between them. The five ponies managed to keep up the conversation for several more minutes before they were out of relevant topics.

Twilight then dragged Dream around the library in an attempt to meet more ponies. She couldn't get him to talk as much with them, and that's about when Twilight got an idea about how to separate herself from him from a while. He needed to be alone for a few minutes. He might even find somepony to talk to.

"Hey, Dream, I…have to go use the little filly's room", she said with an embarrassed smile.

The color left the Pegasus's face. "O-okay", he replied weakly.

Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry Dream, nothing is going to happen to you."

He put all of his might into forcing a smile for her. She smiled back and then left him in the middle of the library. Dream peered around. Many of the guests were paying him no mind as they enjoyed themselves. However, there was another Pegasus eying him from across the library.

Cloud was watching Dream Runner through the mess of ponies as he talked to Rainbow Dash, who was resting her head on the desert table. "You're saying you—" Cloud began.

"Yeah." Rainbow's voice had every bit of sadness in it.

"And that he's—"

"Yeah."

"And now you want to—"

"Yes, Cloud!" Rainbow cried. "I told you what happened. And that's that."

"Then go yourself. I think it'll mean more if you do", Cloud suggested. He sipped his punch.

"Cloud, you weren't _there. _You didn't see what I did to him." Rainbow sniffled.

No he wasn't there, but he knew that if Rainbow was feeling this guilty, then it must have been really, really bad. The black and gray pony sighed. "Rainbow Dash. An apology stinks if it doesn't come from the pony that needs to say it. Trust me. I'm pretty sure he'll forgive you."

The mare looked at her hooves. "I don't know if I can…"

Cloud put a hoof to his chin as he thought about a good threat to get her moving. He smiled evilly when one came to mind. "If you don't I'll tell the whole library about the hooficure you got yesterday."

Rainbow Dash's head jerked up. With a glare she said, "You know I would never, _ever—_"

"Yeah", Cloud laughed, "_I _know. But does everypony else, Miss Shiny Hooves?" His eyes watched her challengingly.

She backed down. "Fine", she sighed angrily, "you win."

"As always."

Rainbow growled at him.

Dream Runner watched as Rainbow Dash left the stallion's side and walked towards him. He seized up, having no clue what her intentions were. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew her—somewhat—he would have quit breathing. He saw her weave in and out of several ponies before breaking an eight feet radius from him. It was then he saw how sad she looked. Confusion now set in replacement of panic. _Why…_

She finally made it to him after what seemed like hours for them both. Then she just sat there for several seconds before speaking. "Uh, h-hey, Dream Runner…" she said to the ground.

"Hello again, Rainbow Dash", he barely whispered.

More silence ensued. Rainbow glanced at him between looks at the floor and the black Pegasus in the back.

When Dream finally chose to say something, Rainbow interrupted him.

"Look, about earlier", she said. "I just wanna say sorry…"

"Oh", he replied, "It's okay Rai—"

"No it isn't", she interjected quickly. "I want to make it up to you."

"You don't—"

"Yes I do", she interrupted again. She thought back to the scene. If that had happened to her, she would be completely destroyed inside. "What I did…it was so uncool. I mean, like, really, really uncool."

Figuring he probably didn't have a choice, he asked, "How could you make it up to me?"

Rainbow hesitated. "I…I want to teach you how to fly."

Dream froze. At that point he was sure he had a moment of delusion. "W-what?" he squeaked.

She changed her approach. "I'm going to teach you how to fly", she proclaimed.

The colt shut his eyes tightly in disbelief. "I-I don't believe you", he said queasily. Something was making him feel sick, and he couldn't fight it or the feelings it was bringing him.

"What? Why?" Rainbow stood up.

In angry sadness, he answered, "Why would anypony teach me something like that? What did I do to deserve such kindness?" Tears creeped from his eyes as he waited for her answer. "Tell me!"

Rainbow Dash was lost for words. What was happening here? Shouldn't he be happy? Did she do something wrong?

Gritting his teeth, he stood up too. "I thought so." He opened his eyes when he turned his back to her. In his way stood a bewildered, almost scared Twilight.

"Are you okay, Dream?" she inquired cautiously. He was apparently having a mental breakdown in response to Rainbow's offer. But why?

His realization of her presence cracked something deep inside of him. Dream Runner could feel his heart rate picking up. All of a sudden everything around him went blurry. Time slowed down as he gazed around the distorted library. The lights were running together and blending into everything else until he felt himself falling. For how long he was in the air he couldn't have been sure. An enormous boom echoed around him when his heavy body hit the floor. Somepony screamed something, but he couldn't understand what it was. His heartbeat thundered in his eardrums. The world around him faded away. He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going to happen next. Not even a single thought could make itself form. A second later, his mind was filled with darkness.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Dream Runner shot out of his sleep. His hooves flailed wildly in an effort get out of wherever it was he woke up. His body was then forced to freeze.

"Dream Runner calm down!"

The voice belonged to Twilight. Dream saw her standing beside the bed he was desperate to leave. Her horn was glowing with magic aura. Even though her shout was stern, Dream still sensed care behind it. When it appeared he was no longer hyperventilating, Twilight dropped the force field.

He slumped back into the bed. More tears filled his eyes. It wasn't long before he was crying hard. "T-Twilight I'm so sorry!"

"Sssshhhhh Dream. It wasn't your fault." Twilight held out a hoof to him. To her satisfaction, he didn't move away. He only gave her a look of sorrow.

"H-how could it not be my f-fault?" he sniffled.

"You had a mild panic attack. All of the stress of the party just compiled and got to you…" Twilight explained. "You really scared everypony. They'll all be happy to know that you're okay."

"T-they w-will? W-why?"

Twilight recoiled in surprise. "Well, because they all care about you Dream. I mean, who wouldn't care about a friend?"

He didn't reply. He only shifted uncomfortably.

Twilight didn't know what to say to make him feel better. She knew that he was very unstable and anything could set him off again. She looked down at the bed, feeling defeated.

"Twilight."

"Yes, Dream?" She raised her head to meet his eyes. They were red with crusted tears.

"How long have I been out?"

"About an hour. Why?"

"I want to help clean up the party downstairs." He scooted over to get out of bed.

Twilight stepped in his way. "You need rest Dream. Besides, Pinkie Pie would never allow it."

As if on cue, the pink pony popped her head up the stairs. On instinct, Twilight whipped around and threw a magic field over her mouth. She quickly crossed the room to the energetic ball of pink. "Pinkie, please don't be very loud. Dream is very sensitive right now." Celestia that was asking the impossible!

Pinkie Pie nodded comprehensively. Twilight let her go and they both trotted back to Dream. "Twilight's right."

"About…?" Dream tilted his head curiously.

"Under the Pinkie Pie Party Guidelines Chapter Eight Section Five Subsection Cupcake: parties are to be cleaned up by only the party planner—that's me—and not the party celebratee—that's you." Pinkie Pie explained happily.

"Are you sure?" Dream asked. "I mean, I kinda ruined it…"

"No pony ruins a Pinkie Pie Party!" she chirped. "Everypony still had fun! And they'll have even more fun when I tell them you're okay!"

With the way she was getting fired up, Twilight knew she had to do something. "Okay, Pinkie Pie, I think Dream Runner needs to rest now." The unicorn put her hoof on her fellow Element's shoulder.

"Oki Doki Loki! Nighty night, Dream!" She didn't wait for a reply before bouncing back down the stairs to finish cleaning.

Dream thought about what happened before he passed out. Hesitantly, he asked, "Twilight is Rainbow Dash still here?"

"No, Pinkie Pie was the last one here. It's just you and me now."

"What about Spike?"

"He's staying at Applejack's for the night."

"Oh. Well, anyway, could you tell Rainbow Dash something for me?"

"Sure thing. What is it?"

"I'll take her up on her offer. I mean, if she still wants to teach me how to fly…"

Inside, Twilight's heart nearly held a parade. She nodded vigorously. "I'll get right on it, Dream."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She rushed down the stairs to deliver the message.

Now by himself, Dream closed his eyes. He recapped the day's events. From meeting Twilight's friends to having a whole party thrown for him…it was almost as if he was in a fairytale. And even if he was, it was better than his old life. On the nightstand by his bed sat his satchel. He reached over and pulled it to him. To avoid injury, he only delved his hoof into it. He withdrew the four items he acquired in the day.

He first looked at the Emotion Orb. He removed it from its case. His gaze fell on the box as he searched its lid for the name of the orb. "Aha!" Engraved in the lid was a very odd marking. He flipped the box around so that the ancient language was right-side-up. He stared at the word until he deciphered it. "Huh…I was wrong." He placed the orb back into the box and snapped it shut. "What a coincidence." A mental note formed in his short term memory bank. From then on he would refer to that particular orb as the Orb of Compassion.

Now he focused his attention on the candies he received from Bon Bon. He wasn't in the mood to eat them, but just looking at them made him feel content. The fact that a pony had given them to him just to make him feel better was a new, wonderful experience. He smiled at his new treasures happily. Just as his satchel made it to the surface of the nightstand, Twilight ascended the stairs again.

She didn't say anything. She only walked up to him. He saw her troubled expression.

She sighed, "Dream…I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but I have a few questions I need to ask."

He stared at her blankly. "What questions?"

"About today." She slid a chair to the bed. "I'm very confused about your behavior."

"What about it?"

"Well, you keep switching from nervous and scared to happy and energetic. Like in the antique shop. Why is that?"

He thought about his answer. "I don't know really. Back in the shop all I could think about was looking for a rare piece of treasure. I didn't really think about being scared."

She nodded. "And in the meadow, why did you run away?"

He already knew the answer to that one. "Shame really. That and I'm used to running away from my problems. I didn't mean to, but instinct took over." He shifted uncomfortably.

"Okay, next one."

"What is it?"

"In the park. Why did you tell me why you can't fly? You barely know me."

He didn't answer immediately. "…I…I trust you Twilight. For some reason I know you won't laugh or be mean to me."

"Last one."

He nodded. "Earlier at the party. Why did—"

"I get mad", he interrupted. After she nodded, he explained, "I don't know…When Rainbow Dash offered I didn't know what to think. Something deep down just snapped."

Twilight didn't get it. Nothing made sense according to what she knew about basic psychology. If she wasn't so tired, she would definitely have gone down to research it.

"And Twilight."

"Yes?"

"Believe it or not", he said, "I'm trying my hardest not to be such a coward." Before she could ask why, he answered, "I feel like I can find courage here in Ponyville."

She remained quiet. She didn't know what to say as she tried to process everything. She decided to just sleep on it. It would all come together in time. Things like this usually did. Or at least that's what she had read before. Putting it to the back of her mind, she told him, "I think we could both use some rest. After all, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow with your first flight lesson."

"Okay, Twilight", he said drowsily. "I'm starting to get pretty tired anyway."

"Me too. It's been a pretty crazy day." Twilight giggled.

"That's right", he agreed. He lay back down with a yawn.

Twilight saw an opening and she took it. She pushed the blanket underneath the colt. She made sure to take extra care in tucking him in. Both of them were blushing madly by the time she returned the favor. Neither of them said anything for a few seconds; they only enjoyed the moment.

"Thanks." Dream said sheepishly. His now violet face was burning fiercely, but he barely noticed. He could only think about the happiness he saw in Twilight's eyes. It might have been his drowsiness, but he could have sworn that her eyes were twinkling.

Twilight looked right back into his. The warm brown held a new peace in them. Not like the first time she looked into them. Her smile grew with the time she stared into his brown eyes. Bashfully, she looked away. "Good night, Dream", she said giddily.

"Night Twilight." He watched as she walked to her bed and used her magic to turn out the lights. With a last glance at her darkened body, he lay back down. _It's settled_, he thought, once again remembering everything that happened in the day, _I'm staying._ He waited until his drowsiness was getting the best of him before succumbing to sleep. Just before he entered the first stage, he quietly whispered, "Twilight."

In the realm of dreams, Dream walked on in silence. Only the echo of his hoofsteps kept him company. The blankness of the world around him wasn't unfamiliar, though it had been some time since he had gotten to experience it. He had always wondered why dreams had to come into focus instead of appearing instantly. It didn't make much sense to him. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the edges of the empty space around him began to change color.

The colors divided and spread as if somepony were painting a picture. Dream watched them mix until he found himself in a forest. Light shone through the treetops and littered the ground with specs of warmth. A warm breeze drifted in from behind Dream. He turned to face it. The wind barely ruffled his mane, but he didn't mind. It still felt nice to be in a good dream for once. A bit of joy found him and, with a skip in his step, he trotted his way through the forest.

He walked and walked without a care. It no longer mattered to him why he was there. It only mattered that he wasn't going to be a slave to his dreams this night. He only felt the slightest bit guilty when he remembered that he had entered another pony's dream without asking for permission. He stopped.

"Speaking of…" Dream looked around for the very pony he was dreamsdropping on. The dream had only been fully materialized for only five minutes, but he still should have seen her by now. He broke off into a run. Paranoia started to grab the back of his mind with thoughts of how he may have messed the process up. For every new thought that formed, about another two miles were added to his speed.

"Go Dream! You can do it!"

The Pegasus skidded to a halt. That outburst put his fears to rest, but now he was thoroughly confused. He couldn't see anypony. And even if he could, there was no way he could have been seen. That must mean…

"Sh-she's dreaming about me…" The words left his mouth in disbelieving amazement.

More cheers of encouragement floated through the air. Dream decided to follow them. He was curious to see exactly what was going on. The shouts got louder when he finally found where they were coming from. The trees started to thin out. He saw that they kept thinning until the forest opened out into a clearing. He immediately recognized it as the meadow from the day before. He spotted Twilight at the top of the hill they had sat when he met Rainbow Dash. She was looking up towards the sky when he saw her. Dream followed her gaze.

What he saw took every ounce of breath from his lungs. There were three other ponies in the dream. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both in the air kicking a beach ball back and forth. The final pony was him. He was in the air as well, waiting for the ball to come his way. He couldn't believe it. He was _flying._

He walked up to the hill and sat beside Twilight. He watched himself play the ballgame with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. He and Rainbow Dash competed for the coolest trick passes, while Fluttershy focused on just getting the ball to the next pony. Friendly laughter came from the four ponies. Dream watched how happy his abstract self was. How his smile wasn't forced…

"She must really want me to fly…" He thought aloud.

"Hey, Twilight!" The flying Dream called. "Catch!"

Twilight stood and readied herself for the ball. She dipped low and bounced the ball high off her head. It sailed over the three Pegasi. Rainbow flew after it and backflip kicked it back down to Dream. He put his hooves together and launched it to Fluttershy.

Now all four of them were enjoying the game. Dream watched in wonder. It was so weird seeing himself. Even more so since he was flying. The scene made him feel livelier. He felt his spirit soar beyond anything he had ever felt before.

"Twilight…" he said to the unresponsive mare. After that he didn't know what else to say. He didn't know where he wanted to go with his words, so he fell silent his gaze dropped to his hooves, but the smile never left his face.

"Dream Runner!"

He jumped. He looked up from his hooves to see himself flying down to Twilight.

"What is it Twilight?"

"I wanted to give you something", she said nervously.

He cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"

"I've been doing some research and…" she began.

"Yes?" Both Dreams leaned forward expectantly.

"I wanted to give you something as a celebration gift for earning your wings."

"What is it?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she reached behind her and pulled out of nowhere a silver case. She levitated out to the abstract Dream. He opened it to reveal a small, golden orb.

Both Dreams gasped. "Which one is it?" he asked excitedly.

"It's—"

Nothing else happened. Time stopped in the middle of Twilight's sentence. The dream around him started to fade into black. He didn't say anything in his disappointment. He merely witnessed the dream come to a close. The only sound now was his sigh. Morning was coming, but for once, he was looking forward to it.

Dream awoke slowly when morning crept through the windows of Twilight's bedroom. He felt completely relaxed, so he decided to close his eyes again and sleep in. No sooner were they closed did he feel something else land on top of the bed with him. He tried his best to ignore it. That became difficult after whatever it was started to move closer to him. Dream sighed and opened his eyes to find an owl was looking him directly in the eyes.

"Hoot!"

"Wah!" He jumped and fell off the opposite side of the bed. He owl hopped over and peered down at him curiously.

"How did you get in?" Dream asked, a little annoyed.

"Hoo?"

"You. How did you—" He stopped. "I'm talking to an owl." He shook his head. "And now I'm talking to myself."

He stood up and was about to shoo the bird away when he noticed a letter clutched in its talons. Owlowiscious held it out to him. He took it and unfolded the paper. To himself, he read:

_Good morning, Dream,_

_ I take it you've met Owlowiscious. I hope he didn't scare you with his way of sneaking up on ponies. I woke up and didn't want to wake you, so I'm already downstairs waiting. I have a surprise for you so hurry!_

Dream folded the note up and put it in his satchel. He slipped it on and quickly made the bed. He glanced back at Owlowiscious. "Uh…here boy?"

"Hoot!" He flew across the room and landed on Dream's back.

Dream shrugged and made his way downstairs. It wasn't as bright as the first morning, but that was only because he had opened all of the windows the day before. It also seemed a little colder.

"Hey, Twilight!" he greeted brightly upon seeing the unicorn. Owlowiscious flew from Dream's back to his perch near Spike's writing table.

She smiled brightly and hopped off the reading chair to cross over to him. She giggled.

A blush crossed Dream's cheeks and nose. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing", she laughed, "…Bedhead!"

"Huh?"

Twilight continued to laugh as she levitated a mirror up to the colt. He knew why she was laughing when he saw that his mane was now sticking out every which way and now the pink strip in his mane had somehow managed to turn and was now running horizontally. He sighed. "It always does that", he sighed. He lifted a hoof to the top of his head to straighten it out.

"Here, I'll get it." Twilight levitated her brush from upstairs. Before Dream could object, Twilight pushed the brush into his messy mane. He blushed deeper with every stroke. He doubted Twilight could right his mane out with the brush, but letting her brush it was strangely relaxing. She even took the time to brush the back of it.

"There you go!" She held up the mirror for him to see.

He gasped at what he saw. Twilight had played a trick on him. His mane was fashioned to look just like hers! Pure red overtook his face when Twilight started laughing hysterically at his shock. Alarmed, he frantically ruffled his mane and shook his head fiercely. It only took two seconds for him to get his mane back to normal. Meanwhile, Twilight had nearly laughed herself to hiccups.

He mumbled uncomfortably, "…Good one."

"I'm sorry Dream I couldn't help myself", she chortled.

"It's okay. I appreciate a good laugh every once in a while. If I manage to stay long enough you might get to see my humor." He smiled, his blush now faded into a cute pink on his cheeks.

Twilight grew her own blush as she thought about adorable he looked. They both stood there in awkward silence.

Dream broke it. "So, uh, you said you had a surprise?"

"Oh", Twilight said in realization, "Yep, I made you breakfast!"

With a warm omelet in his stomach, Dream grabbed his satchel from the back of the chair he sat in. "That sure was good!"

"Thanks." Twilight levitated his plate into the kitchen sink. "Spike usually does the cooking, but I like to make a meal or two when I can."

"Thank you, Twilight, you're a really good cook", Dream complimented. He climbed out of the chair. All of the kindness he was receiving gave him a new feeling, but he didn't know what it was. It was so weird, feeling it for the first time. _Almost as if…_he thought.

"You ready?"

He flinched out of his thoughts. "Huh?" He looked back to Twilight, who was getting ready to leave. "Ready for what?"

"You have a very big day ahead of you", she answered with a huge smile.

"I do?" What was she talking about?

"Yup, today is the day of your first flying lesson!" she cheered.

Mixed emotions hit Dream like a tidal wave. At first he felt panic as he thought about who would be teaching him and her expectations. Then he felt joy at the thought of finally learning to get in the air. And finally fear when he thought the possibility of still not being able to fly even with somepony to teach him.

Despite what he was feeling, Dream smiled for Twilight and nodded.

As she lead the way out, he thought, _If not for anything else, for her…_

**Many, many different scenes this chapter. We all get a look into Dream's psych, and see how he's coping with his new life. Will it last, though? That's the question to ask.**

**Sorry for the unforeseen delay; my internet got disconnected before I could update, so I'm uploading via school computer. Sorry about that.**

**Oh, also, I'm in the market for a new title for this chapter. I've changed it about three times now and I still am not so sure about it. Any ideas? Or is it okay how it is now?**


	5. Lesson One: Acceptance

Lesson One: Acceptance

As Princess Celestia once again raised her majestic sun for another wonderful day in Equestria, she once more read over Twilight Sparkle's letter. The smile under her nose couldn't grow any wider as she read it over for the eighth time since she had received it the night before. She was so ecstatic at the news, that she almost raised the sun fast enough to set the morning time to three in the afternoon.

Princess Luna couldn't help but notice her sister's growing excitement. Especially since Celestia was about to burst into a fit of giggles at the breakfast table. "A bit of good news, Sister?"

She didn't answer immediately. She was too busy contemplating on what to do about the predicament Twilight had wrote to her about. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she had completely forgot about replying to Luna entirely.

Luna gave an annoyed huff. She levitated the letter from Celestia. Giving it a quick read, she found she didn't understand why Celestia was so giddy. "It seems as if Twilight Sparkle has developed a crush, and this 'Dream Runner' is in need of help. I'm afraid I don't share your enthusiasm."

"Isn't it GREAT?" Celestia blurted. "Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who has only fallen in love with books has fallen in love with a colt! I never thought I would see the day!"

Luna frowned, "The letter doesn't entail falling in love, Celestia."

"You must read between the lines", Celestia explained, "Can you not tell how concerned she is about him?"

"I will admit, the words 'urgent help' and 'immediate assistance' do appear often", Luna said. She read it again, and noticed something else. "It also appears she does not want him to leave. That she has stressed several times."

"Exactly." Celestia sipped her orange juice. "I can't tell you how lucky Twilight and Dream are. That the poor colt happens to be a Dream Chaser. I know I may seem insensitive at the moment, but this could be an opportunity to make two ponies very happy. Especially since we both know the solution for—"

"The Dream Chaser Quandary?"

"Precisely."

Luna was beginning to understand where Celestia was taking their conversation. Celestia was always meddling in the personal lives of the subjects of Equestria. She wondered exactly what happened during all those long years she was stuck on the moon.

"Luna", Celestia said suddenly.

"Yes, sister?"

With a smile, Celestia asked, "How would you like to help me play matchmaker?"

* * *

By the time Twilight and Dream made it outside, the day had already blossomed with beautiful weather. The heat was only barely moderate, and a cool breeze had blown in a dry cold front from the north. To Dream's satisfaction, the breeze ruffled his mane continuously, making him feel even more content as he walked alongside Twilight. Dream had immediately taken notice of the many Pegasi flying around Ponyville, and for a second he found himself imagining what it would be like to be flying among them.

"Nervous?" Twilight asked, giving an interruption to his thoughts.

"A little", he lied. Inside, Dream was shaking like a leaf. Guilt from the previous night was still caught in his throat. It wasn't something he could just forget. Something like that he couldn't even control scared him. He was in absolute terror that it might happen again and knew that he would have to do everything in his power to make sure it didn't happen again. Before anymore of the thoughts could form, he hurriedly cleared his mind of everything except the breeze, where he was going, and Twilight.

"Don't worry, Dream, I have every bit of faith that you will do just fine", she assured.

To Dream, she sounded as if he were taking a test for school. To be honest, he wished he was. It would be so much easier to do. "You think?"

"I _know_", she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

He wondered just how she could be so sure about it as his mind was full of doubts against succession. He once again shook the negative thoughts from his mind. He wanted to ask where his lesson would be since Twilight wasn't leading him back to the meadow, but decided against it in case it would be a place he would second guess and want to leave. The wind picked up a little more, erasing all thoughts from his mind.

Twilight had pulled ahead by a few steps, and was hoping to get Dream to pick up the pace. They were late already and Rainbow Dash didn't exactly have a lot of patience. She knew that Dream wouldn't learn properly from an irritable teacher. Her incentive worked; Dream quickened his trot to catch up.

"I hope it won't take long to learn", Dream stated.

"Why's that?"

He blushed sheepishly. "I kinda want to start flying as soon as I can."

"That's the spirit!" Twilight cheered. "Have confidence!"

Dream gave her a smile. Twilight's enthusiasm was welcoming, and he really wanted to hear more support, so he said, "I'm going to be flying by tomorrow, just watch!"

Twilight opened her mouth to commend him again, only to be interrupted by a cyan mare. "Twilight, where have you been!?"

Dream jumped and nearly suffered an adrenaline overdose. The anxiety kicked in with full force. He froze over with nervousness.

Twilight didn't notice. "Sorry Rainbow, breakfast lasted a bit longer than I thought", she apologized. Then she added teasingly, "And Dream decided to be lazy this morning."

The joke snapped Dream back to his senses. "Don't let her fool you, Rainbow", he replied, "She's only covering for how slow she cooks."

"Oh, please", Twilight countered, "I had to literally drag you out of bed this morning."

They glared at each other until Twilight burst into a fit of laughter. "Hahaha!"

Dream couldn't help himself and started laughing with her. It was odd, laughing for the first time in a very long time.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. She didn't know what was up, but was eager to get on with the lesson before her shift started at the Weather Patrol Post. "Come on, guys", she said, "We don't have a lot of time today."

The two lightened their laughter until they were barely giggling. Rainbow Dash, finally happy that they could start, said, "Okay, so today, I'm going to just see what you know and then go from there. We have until one before—"

"Twilight!"

They all turned to see an angry Spike walking towards them. He was making fast pace for some reason. "Twilight you have to get back to the library! There's an army of complaining ponies outside the door and I can't get them by myself. And how long's the library been closed? Pinkie Pie says she's been waiting forever to return her books!"

Twilight shivered. She had been so preoccupied with Dream that she completely forgot about her daily responsibilities as Ponyville's librarian. She nearly had a heart attack. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Spike. Quick, you go ahead and start taking care of what you can, and I'll be right behind you. Oh, I hope Princess Celestia doesn't hear about this!"

Dream Runner almost passed out. Guilt ran his conscience over like a train. He immediately felt like the biggest burden in Equestria. Luckily for him, before any fear could set in, Twilight came to his emotional rescue.

"Don't worry, Dream. It's not your fault. Everypony will understand when I tell them I've been helping you", she said.

He nodded, not fully convinced. He just hoped he hadn't got her into too much trouble.

"Will you be okay without me?" _Bad question Twilight, now he might get discouraged!_

In the back of his mind, Dream felt the burning sensation of wanting to prove himself a braver pony than he was for her. It gave him the energy to smile, nod, and say, "Yep!"

Twilight wasn't sure his reaction was forced or genuine, so she went with the benefit of the doubt. "Okay, Dream. When you're done, you know where you can find me."

Dream watched her gallop away, somewhat longing to chase after her, somewhat happy that he had managed to pull off such a hard decision.

"Ready, Dream?"

Dream turned to see Rainbow Dash waiting for him to walk with her to the training ground. He nodded and followed behind her. It was when he looked past her that he saw they were at a lake. Taking a look around, he saw that he had walked with Twilight to the outskirts of Ponyville. The only sounds he could hear were from the small clearing around him. That brought some comfort. He wouldn't embarrass himself in front of anypony other than Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, open your wings", Rainbow instructed. He replied with a confused stare. "So I can make sure they're strong enough. You can really hurt yourself if they aren't."

"Oh." He opened them up. "They're pretty average in strength. I exercise them regularly."

She inspected his feathered appendages. They weren't at all bony, and he was right when he said he exercised them; both wings were just slightly more muscular than Fluttershy's, and that was more than enough for his lesson.

"They should be good enough", she observed, then added, "And if not, a few wingups won't kill ya."

Dream nodded and followed her to wherever he was going to learn to fly. He was feeling sick to his stomach with nervousness and guilt and many other negative emotions. With Twilight now gone, he felt so unprotected. He got so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed the water of the lake nipping at his hooves. There was a small boat nearby and when he looked out onto the lake, he noticed that there was a small platform with a high diving board floating in the middle. He gulped. _I'm going to learn on that!?_

* * *

Twilight sighed as she signed another small stack of books out to another one of the library's members. It was nothing but busy work ever since she arrived. She had never seen the library so packed before. She was enthused that more ponies seemed to be focusing more time on reading, but did there have to be so many at once?

"Whoa!"

On instinct, Twilight used her magic to catch Spike before he hit the library floor. The books he was carrying to the top of the ladder, however, weren't so lucky. "Spike, what have I told you about carrying too many books while climbing the ladders?"

"Sorry, Twilight", he said as she set him down, "I'm just trying to get done faster so I can go over to Applejack's."

"Well, how much do you have left?"

"Just a couple of stacks."

Twilight sighed, "Go ahead and leave early, Spike. I'll get to them later."

Spike wasn't going to ask Twilight if she was sure. Any chance to get out of the library and head to the farm pony's house was going to be snatched up by him in a heartbeat. Twilight watched him leave the library as quickly as he could and wondered exactly what had happened to his work ethic. She would have to have a talk with him about it later. For now she merely focused on serving the ponies in the library. It wasn't much longer before there were only three ponies browsing the shelves. Now that all of the excitement was over, she was left wondering how Dream was doing. Her thoughts were interrupted by Owlowiscious, who landed on top of her desk. He let a scroll drop from his beak and, after a scratch on his head, flew back to one of his perches.

Twilight immediately saw Princess Celestia's seal holding the scroll together. She hurriedly snatched it up and began reading.

_Dear Twilight Sparkle,_

_ It is most unfortunate to hear of Dream Runner's predicament. Fortunately, Princess Luna and I both offer you our services to help him through it. We do require an audience with the two of you so that we can become further educated in exactly what a "Dream Chaser" is. We have no specific date in mind at this time and would like to work around your schedules, so whichever day you are free and would like to meet will be fine with us. We hope to see the two of you soon._

_Sincerely, Princess Celestia_

Excited relief filled Twilight's mind. She was going to get Dream help! The librarian nearly jumped up and began dancing. She giddily levitated a quill and parchment over and began writing a thank you letter explaining that she and Dream would be in Canterlot by morning the next day. The remaining ponies in the library checked out their books. Twilight followed them out and hung an "Out to Lunch" sign on the door. She couldn't wait to tell Dream they were going to Canterlot!

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH—"

_SPLASH!_

Dream once again experienced the shock of the lake's cold water before he swam back up. Being suspended in the water was the closest thing he could ever come to flying, and he didn't understand why it was so much easier to swim. Once his stomach stopped stinging, he decided to break the surface of the lake. He looked up to see the diving board looming over him. Rainbow Dash grabbed him from under his wings and flew him back to the platform.

"Okay, Dream, I know where we have to start now", she stated. She observed his trial jumps and found that the colt had to start from square one and forget everything he tried to teach himself. When he jumped, he instantly panicked and flailed around helplessly. He wouldn't be able to fly like that. "Get back to the top of the diving board."

Dream followed the order hesitantly. He mentally prepared himself for the queasy sensation of his fear of heights. He climbed the ladder as fast as he could. Any non-solid ground scared the feathers off him.

"I want you to jump off again, but this time, just keep your wings straight out", Rainbow instructed, "You'll want to learn to glide first, so that you can learn how to weight shift."

He nodded and closed his eyes. There might have been water underneath him, and he might be a very good swimmer, but falling was still falling, no matter how he looked at it. He stepped to the end of the plank. He stretched his wings out and locked them into position. He took a step over and…

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. The second the colt stepped over the side, he instinctively began to flap his wings and flail his hooves wildly. "A Pegasus afraid of heights", she sighed, "Great."

Dream Runner surfaced again and swam back to the floating island. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash!" he called, "I'll get it right this time!"

Back at the top, he shook himself free of as much water as he could. "Okay, wings straight out…"

"Hang on." Rainbow landed in his way.

"What?"

"Close your eyes, and when you jump off this time, hold your breath." She was sure that if he could get rid of the sensation of falling, then maybe he wouldn't panic.

Dream closed his eyes and walked to the end of the diving board again. He took a huge breath. _It's just water... _He stepped over the edge and it was as if nothing had happened. He was sure he wasn't touching the platform anymore and that he had jumped. Only a couple of more seconds passed before his hooves felt the lake water. The cold caused him to flinch and close his wings. He fell the rest of the way into the water. He swam back up immediately. _What just happened?_

"Good job, Dream Runner!" Rainbow shouted as she drifted back down to lift him out.

As she grabbed him, he asked, "What did I do?"

"You glided!"

"I did", he inquired, amazed. "I didn't feel anything though."

"We'll work on that", she replied. She carried him to the lake's beach. "I don't have a lot of time left before I have to get to Weather Patrol. So, uh, lesson over for today I guess."

Dream stopped her from flying off. "Hey, Rainbow Dash…"

"Yeah?"

The colt wasn't sure what to say exactly, so just put it simply with, "Thanks. I swear I'll return the favor."

"Don't worry about it", she chuckled, "It's what friends do."

With that, she was off. Dream watched after her. When she was gone, he turned back toward the lake, then looked up to see that the sun wasn't even close to the position of one o'clock. He didn't know why she left early, but that wasn't on his mind. He took a look at the ground. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "Friends", he repeated. It's almost as if he finally realized it. "I have friends…"

The words gave him more confidence. He gazed out onto the lake to the diving board. It wasn't a long swim, and he still had some time before he was supposed to be back to the library, so he waded through the water and swam to the board. Thoughts of possible insanity wandered into Dream's mind when he looked up the long ladder. He drew a deep breath and climbed the ladder as fast as he could. Doing as he did before he opened his wings and locked them outwards. He closed his eyes and held in a deep breath. Once again he stepped over. Just like before he felt nothing. A few seconds into it, he dared to open his eyes. A gasp escaped his mouth when he saw that he was slowly drifting over the lake. He slowly exhaled. Dream found that nothing bad was happening, so he tried to change direction. He leaned right. To his misfortune he leaned too far and went head first into the water. He swam back up. _Almost_, he thought.

On his second attempt he managed to jump off without closing his eyes. He kept his breath held to keep calm, and let it out as he progressed farther out over the lake. This time he leaned to his right slowly. He gradually yawed right. Then he leaned left. He kept it up until he was zigzagging over the surface of the lake. He let himself drop when he reached the water. On his swim back, Dream got an idea. "What would happen if I leaned backwards?" he pondered to himself.

Once again back at the top, he contemplated how far he should lean. He didn't want to lean too far and fall, so he figured just a little should do. He jumped off and almost immediately shifted his weight to his tail. He was elated to find that he rose higher. _I'm going up! Celestia, I'm basically flying!_ He leaned a little more and more, until the inevitable happened. His ascension slowed to a halt.

"What?" Absolute horror gripped him as he started to fall back down. "NO!" he screamed, "Nonononononono!"

His instincts kicked in and forced his hooves and wings to move on their own. He fell like a rock as he vainly tried to regain altitude. He hit the water with a loud smack. Underneath the surface, his tears of pain, trauma, and failure dissolved into the fresh water. He looked up at the mirror of water and air above him. He refused to go back up. He felt that the moment he gasped for breath, he would be subjected to painful teasing by a hundred skilled flyers. His oxygen reserves were starting to evaporate, and it wasn't long before his heart was pounding in his ears. Dream's lungs were by then screaming for him to go back up, yet his mind refused to listen to them.

Two voices began arguing in his head. _Stupid colt,_ one—a mare's—said maliciously, _You'll never fly…_

_Yes you will!_ Screamed the second one, which sounded a lot like Twilight's, _Look how close you came just now!_

_You're a joke, a mediocre pony…_

_No! You're a wonderful Pegasus with a bright future!_

_You are the lowest of the low. A disgrace to your kind…_

_You've only had a bad past! You can't possibly call yourself a Pegasus if you don't try! Be positive!_

_No pony cares if you win or lose or if you just wither away into nothing…_

_I care, Dream! I know you can do it! I believe in you!_

_He's a horrible Pegasus!_

_He's an amazing Pegasus…And I…I…I lo—_

He couldn't hear anything else. The water overtook his body. He faded into darkness as he gasped in a mouthful of water. All cognitive functions in his body stopped. He couldn't tell he was drowning.

What happened next was a sure sign of his luck…

* * *

"No Dream, don't leave me!" Twilight screamed as she pounded her hooves into his chest another time. Her tears streamed from her eyes as she desperately attempted to revive the almost drowned colt. She tried mouth to mouth again. She blew as much air into his lungs as she could. He still ceased to show signs of life. She slammed her hooves into his chest over and over. Her sobs got louder the longer she took to bring him back. When she thought it was all over for him, she slammed both hooves and her head down on him.

Dream was brought back to the living coughing and sputtering water. He opened his eyes in shock to see Twilight crying over him. She instantly pulled him into a tight hug and sobbed into his soggy mane. Dream Runner didn't move. Confusion and embarrassment kept him from moving. She held him close for several minutes before letting him go and holding him out.

He didn't need to ask what happened. "Twilight…I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry", she cried. "I should have gotten here sooner…"

Instead of arguing, Dream Runner did the unimaginable. He closed the space in between the two and put his hooves around her. Tears left his eyes as he hugged her with happiness. He was so overjoyed to be cared about to the point of being resuscitated. _H-have I once again fallen in love?_ Twilight's hooves around him confirmed it. _Yes. But I think it'll be different this time…_

They held each other until Dream was mostly dry. Silently, they let each other go and stood up. Dream grabbed his satchel from the top of the rock back where the grass met the sand of the lake's beach.

The walk back to Ponyville was peaceful. Well, with the exception of Dream's shivering. The cold air mixed with his still damp fur was a formula for Shuddering Colt. Twilight took immediate notice. Remembering a spell she was taught a couple days ago, Twilight conjured a blanket over the Pegasus. She draped it over him. His new wind shield brought instant warmth. "Thanks Twilight."

"Would you like some hot chocolate?"

He nodded.

She turned and started in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. Both were thinking about what had just happened, but didn't want to say anything about the traumatizing experience. It was evident that Dream wasn't going to scare Twilight like that again. And that it was her who had levitated him out of the lake. No explanations were needed.

Dream stuck close to Twilight. It was different this time. He only wanted to be close to Twilight not to use her as a shield, but because he wanted to be close to her.

_I love this, _he thought, _I love this new life. And, _he smiled, _I love Twilight…_

**I actually cried as I wrote this chapter, especially on the last line. I put my heart and soul into all of the tender moments. I'm starting to love writing more and more. Next update in twelve days!**

**Be sure to drop a review, I love hearing from you guys!**


	6. Canterlot

Canterlot

Dream Runner gulped. He had no idea what was going to happen when he stepped off the train. Never once had he ever been in such a big city, and the idea of the hundreds of ponies walking around put him on edge, not to even mention they were going to meet the princesses! Twilight noticed he was very jumpy, and had already tried to calm his nerves in several different ways.

"Dream, why don't you come sit away from the window and have a cup of tea?"

It took him several seconds to pry his eyes from the giant city in the background of the scenery. They were still a few hours away from what he could tell, leaving them alone in the small cabin they were using for the ride. The sip of tea was a little relaxing, but the wired colt was still shaky beyond help. It was his first train ride, his first trip to Canterlot, and his first audience with the rulers of Equestria, giving him plenty of reason to be nervous.

The violet unicorn sighed. There was nothing she could do about it. Not even her strongest Calming Spell would be enough to set him at ease. She didn't like seeing him so worked up and she was worried that he might give himself an ulcer. While they sipped their tea, neither of them spoke. The rattle of the train was the only noise made. Twilight helplessly watched him tremble in his seat. How he even got any sleep the night before was a total mystery.

"W-what are the P-princesses like?" he stammered.

"Don't worry, Dream. You'll love them. Both are very calm and completely nonthreatening."

He didn't show any signs of settling down. She racked her brains for anything she could do or say to help him overcome his anxiety. She just wanted to hug him and stroke the worry right out of him. A fierce blush took over her face as she imagined holding him. The scene did give her an idea. "Dream Runner, you can always hide behind me."

He stopped shaking. "W-what?"

"Just like when you first got to Ponyville, remember?"

He nodded embarrassingly. He had hoped she never noticed, but guessed she couldn't help but be aware of his clinginess. He did only stick to her like glue. He was about to mumble an apology, but suddenly their room plunged into darkness.

Twilight forgot all about the tunnel in the mountain side. For what little was left of Dream's sanity, she tried to use a Torch Spell to light up the room, but something gripped her around her body and squeezed all of the air out of her lungs. She did her best to get a breath, and when she managed to get her lungs half full, illuminated the room with a white orb she formed at the tip of her horn. She looked down to see Dream Runner clinging to her for dear life. He was shaking like a leaf and slightly whimpering. She didn't try to coax him away. She put her hoof around the colt and hugged him, just like she wanted to do. The brightest smile came to her face when she realized that she was actually calming him down! Eventually, his shaking stopped entirely, and they separated, leaving an awkward silence and blushes nearly as bright as the light orb.

Dream sat back down at his seat. His heart was beating to hard he was positive Twilight could hear it. He didn't know that her own heart was beating just as loudly in her ears. He didn't let Twilight see it, but he was smiling, giggling even. Twilight had hugged him, just as he had planned. He knew it wasn't exactly right for him to steal a hug like that, but he sure wasn't ready to ask outright for one. He forced his smile to go away and, since the light wasn't very bright, turned with the blush still burning his face.

Twilight never stopped smiling. She was really happy that she could get the colt to stop shaking. "Better?"

He nodded. "Thanks, Twilight."

The train lurched, nearly sending them to the floor.

"Ugh, they still haven't fixed that bump…"

"You visit Canterlot often?"

"Only about every few weeks. I like to keep Princess Celestia up to date with what I learn about friendship without sending letters."

"The world could use that knowledge…" Dream said, his voice trailing off.

Twilight knew it wasn't the time to ask about his life, no matter how badly she wanted to. He was still too fragile. Instead, she remained quiet, wondering if there was a subtle way to make him blush again. He was so cute when his face turned violet. Twilight strengthened her spell, allowing more light to fill the room.

Dream Runner yawned. The warm glow of the light was super relaxing, but he forced himself to stay awake. Twilight wasn't asleep to keep him from having a Forecast Dream. It was too risky. He was so on edge about staying in Ponyville that he was currently working on a new potion. _If only I can find my journal…_

As if Twilight read his mind, she asked about the very thing that he had mentioned the night they met. "Hey, Dream, do you remember when you told me you made potions?"

He nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"I've been really curious since then", she admitted, though it was never really on her mind, "I've never met a potions master."

"Oh, no", Dream chuckled, "I'm far beyond a potions master."

Her head tilted with confusion. "Far beyond?"

He smiled proudly. "I'm an alchemist."

Twilight completely forgot about him telling her about the alchemy part that night. "An alchemist!?"

He nodded modestly. "I don't want to brag, but, um…I'm actually pretty good."

"You'll have to show me some of your work!"

Dream was drowning in Twilight's attention. "Just a second." He reached into his satchel and, avoiding a very expensive vase, returned with a small rack of vials in his mouth. He set them on the table. They were all the same size, but sported very different potions on the inside. One of them glowed with an eerie green glow, and another was boiling despite the cool temperature in the room and the cork in the bottle.

Twilight's nose was, in an instant, inches from the rack. "Wow! They're amazing!"

"These are just a couple of new ones I've been experimenting with." Dream explained. He hovered his hoof over the different ones, and named them off. "This one is supposed to turn a pony's coat into a mirror. This one is supposed to cure hiccups." He pointed to the glowing one. "That one's supposed to make you see in the dark. The yellow one, um…I think is supposed to make ponies walk on water. I don't really remember." He paused at the fizzing one. "This one…"

Twilight leaned in with curiosity. "What does it do?"

"…is supposed to cure me…"

"Cure you?" Twilight asked in confusion. Taking a glance at his Cutie Mark, she realized what he meant. "Oh…" She quickly perked up. "Have you tried any of them?"

Dream dropped the moment's depression and shook his head. "Too unstable. I still have to analyze all of their chemical and magical properties. I haven't found the time to do that yet. That, and I still need ingredients for a counter potion for each of them."

"What ingredients do you usually use for potions?"

"That's the thing with alchemy", Dream stated, "Any ingredient will do, even if it's just the dirt from the ground."

"Even something as simple as dirt?" Twilight propped her head up on her hooves to listen to the alchemist in front of her. This side of Dream was very intriguing and she wanted to know everything about him.

Dream showed his teeth with the next smile. "I'm not sure if you know, but all matter in the universe contains chemical, physical, and magical properties. Alchemy takes both magical and chemical properties and combines them into one product."

He stood up to continue his lecture. Twilight was the first pony to show interest in his hobby, and he wanted to give her the full rundown, even if he was forcing himself to open up to her. "It's too complex to explain completely, but when they are mixed, alchemy ingredients react in different ways. You can have two ingredients with the exact same chemical properties, but entirely opposite magical properties."

Twilight nodded in comprehension.

"Ever since I started alchemy, I've been coming up with a lot of potions." He chuckled, "I have a field journal somewhere in my satchel, but I haven't been able to find it in a long time."

The unicorn got an instant idea. She was going to LOVE it if he agreed. "Is it _that_ cluttered?"

Dream laughed, "I wish it was cluttered!"

"When's the last time you organized it", she asked.

"There was a last time?"

She stood up. "Wanna organize it?"

"Sure, if we had four hours to clean a satchel."

"As a matter of fact we do!" Twilight exclaimed. "This tunnel winds all the way through the inside of Foal Mountain. It's about a five hour climb."

"In that case", said Dream Runner, opening the satchel and setting it on their table next to the potions, "Let's get started."

"You want me to just step inside?"

He nodded. "I used to do it all the time."

Hesitantly, Twilight peered into the bag. She gasped. The inside was massive! She could barely see where it ended! "It has to be five hundred square feet in there!"

Dream Runner smiled, "Really? It seems bigger than that."

Twilight rolled her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she wriggled herself into Dream's satchel. She had expected the inside to be just like the inside of an ordinary satchel, but to her surprise, it was enchanted to be fashioned like a warehouse. The floor was marble and the walls granite. Orbs of magic light drifted around near the ceiling. What really captured her attention were the mountains of cluttered antiques and artifacts, and the broken glass that littered the hard floor. It also had its own gravity. Well, that's what she assumed since the many cluttered shelves were still upright considering how his satchel jostled around as he walked.

"This is why I don't sleep in here anymore. It's too dangerous nowadays", Dream said sheepishly, pushing a few shards of glass around with his hooves. "I don't even know where to start…"

"Could I take a look around first?" Twilight asked. "I would like to see what we're dealing with."

"Yeah, I guess…" He watched her turn around. "Be careful, though…" He watched her walk away and disappear behind a pile of pottery. He sighed. He wanted to chase after her, but a spike in his heart rate stopped him. He then realized that she was in his satchel. This was practically his home! A huge blush filled his face as he thought about how this could be the next step in their relationship. _Well, if we had a relationship…_

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. Dream had the greatest collection of artifacts, gems, and treasures she had ever seen. There were tapestries, crystals, tools, even paintings lying about. As she ventured deeper into the mounds of valuables, she found that Dream had tried to keep it organized over the time of his collecting. It was haphazardly arranged in zones. He attempted to keep treasures of the same variety together, and as she moved along, she found that the types of treasures changed. It went from the gems to paintings, to ancient weapons and artifacts, and then on to miscellaneous things lying about. "No wonder he said it was dangerous", she said to herself, "Everything is just one touch from falling over!"

She kept walking until she found the one thing in the whole satchel that was kept tidy. It was his display of his collected Emotion Orbs. She quickly looked over the eight he had found. There were gaps in between them, which left her wondering how he was arranging them. She looked for their names, but the only letters on the cases she could find were in an ancient language she couldn't decipher. She would have to ask Dream about them later. Maybe when they were finished. She continued walking on until the clutter began to thin out and she came to the back wall. The rest she could explore as they cleaned. Somewhere deep in the satchel's halls something crashed, sending a small quake beneath Twilight's hooves. _It's no mystery as to why he keeps hurting himself, everything in here is very unstable. _Another crash somewhere in the distance coaxed her to move away from the shelves and piles of weapons. After a third, closer crash, she decided she had lingered long enough. She quickly made her way back to the opening of the bag.

Dream was exactly where Twilight had left him when she got back. He stood up upon seeing her. "What do you think?"

"I think we have some work to do", she laughed.

He looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah, heheh, I'm a bit of a packrat."

"I know exactly what to do about that!" Twilight focused as much power into her horn as she could. Her levitation spell encased every loose object in the satchel and lifted them into the air. The stress was instantly present. However, she wasn't going to let Dream down. "We'll do this just like reshelving day in the library. How do you want it all organized?"

Dream shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I just don't want to die in here."

Twilight giggled. "I think that can be arranged."

* * *

"Phew", Twilight sighed, "That didn't take too long." She forced herself to look as less exhausted as she could. Two hours of continual levitation drained her magic energy to the point of nearly passing out. She was happy with their progress. Together, they managed to organize his entire inventory, find an alchemy lab, a floor, and an old bed. The hundreds of items he owned were now all neatly placed on his shelves, leaving both ponies beaming at their work. Now there were only a few things left that Twilight didn't have to levitate.

During the time they spent cleaning, Dream had told Twilight several stories of his adventures in Equestria's caves and darkest ruins. He told her of how he nearly got trapped in an ice cavern in the Arctic North, and how he got away with nabbing an ancient crest from old catacombs in Saddle Arabia. When she asked him about if he thought his discoveries belonged in museums, he told her that he had attempted to submit them, but the museum directors either refused to accept his artifacts, or took them from him and claimed them as their own discoveries, so he kept them for himself. Now he was currently telling her another story about his trip to Crystal Cave south of Phillydelphia.

"I nearly died in that one too", Dream recalled, pushing a vase onto a shelf. "If I never learned to swim with my wings. In the end I still got the gauntlets."

"Wow, that's quite some adventuring you've done", Twilight said.

"And of it all, nothing will compare to my trip to Sunrise End." He turned and sat with a grin. "Wait until you see what I found there."

Twilight didn't think her interest or curiosity could go any higher, but the news of his greatest discovery drove it right through the ceiling of her mind. She attempted to stand, but her exhaustion thought it would be funny to shoved her right back down. She saw Dream's concerned face, and quickly said, "Sorry, Dream, I'm a little tired from all the levitation."

"Oh, I can help with that!" Dream declared. He turned and grabbed a corked glowing blue test tube that sat on his alchemy station. "Here, this should help you out. It's an energy restoration potion. Just a sip and you'll be just fine."

"And you just so happened to have this already mixed and ready?" Twilight asked skeptically.

"I actually have a few ready", he replied, "You never know when you have to run for your life…I don't know if it will work for magic energy, but it definitely replenishes stamina."

Twilight stared at the potion in uncertainty. "Does it…"

"No", Dream chuckled, "It's completely harmless and tastes like blueberries."

Levitating it from his hooves, Twilight hesitantly took a small drink from the glass tube. The blueberry flavor chilled her body over briefly, then warmed it right back up with a huge wave of energy. She almost dropped the tube in shock.

"Did it work?"

She nodded. "That was weird. I feel so much better now."

Dream took the potion back and made a mental note to put the newly discovered effect in his journal. Twilight watched him. The more time that went by, the more interesting Dream became. And, to Twilight's delight, the more comfortable he got around her. Ever since the incident at the lake, Dream had taken an even bigger liking to the unicorn. He made it his mission to force himself to talk to her even more, and now it was becoming easier. Twilight expected that soon he would be ready to fully open up to her. _And when that happens…_

"Are you ready?"

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts. "Ready for what?"

With an eager smile, Dream said, "To see what I got at Sunrise End!"

Whatever it was, it sure had Dream excited. Twilight was super anxious to see what Dream had to show her. "Yeah, I can't wait to see it!"

Dream beamed. He turned and, surprisingly, bounced down one of the newly made aisles. Twilight trotted after him, careful not to fall behind. The excitement Dream felt almost made him burst into giggles. Twilight would be the first ever pony to ever see what he had stored in the deepest reaches of his satchel.

Twilight found Dream's bouncing adorably cute. The urge to tackle him with a hug was playing a heated game of tug-o-war with the desire to not embarrass herself. The silence between them was a bit unwanted, so Twilight broke it. "You said 'Sunrise End'?"

"Mmhmm", Dream hummed. "It's an old temple in the Changeling Kingdom."

"Th-the Changeling Kingdom?" Twilight was in total disbelief. There was no way Dream Runner walked into that horrid place and survived. Not even the most stubborn of Celestia's elite knights would ever think about even looking at it.

"I know what you're thinking", Dream called ahead of her. "And yes I did go there."

"How…"

"Invisibility potion!" Dream chimed. "I used ten of them before even I got there. I was investigating the ruins after a rumor I overheard about a priceless treasure there. Since I'm also a treasure hunter, I just had to see if it was true."

"So you traveled to the Changeling Kingdom, used your potions, and—"

"Snuck into the temple", Dream finished proudly. He puffed out his chest just like Rainbow Dash would.

Twilight found him even cuter now. He was acting like a filly showing her new doll off! She couldn't suppress her giggles anymore. She tried her best to keep them silent, but every so often one would slip out. Dream didn't seem to notice.

"Sunrise End was the most dangerous ruin I had ever gone into", Dream explained, "There were traps everywhere, but with my experience, it wasn't a problem. Most of the temple had caved in, so I had to use a special acid to go down further. There was a very old ritual chamber down there."

"Is that where you found the treasure?" Twilight inquired.

He shook his head. "No. That chamber was empty. Nothing but rocks. I almost left, but I accidentally stepped on a pressure tile. It activated a large door in the back of the room. When I got behind it, I found myself in a long hallway." He paused to take a breath, giddy from the recollection. "I followed it down until I got to another room." He stopped abruptly in front of a large chest Twilight didn't remember sorting. He put a hoof on top of it in remembrance. "That's when I found this."

"What is it?" Twilight leaned forward and was close to levitating it open before he spoke again.

He sighed. "Twilight, I need you to promise that what you see today will stay in my satchel and only between us."

Twilight frowned. What was going on? His attitude changed entirely in just one second. "I-I promise, Dream."

He nodded and walked around to the back of the chest to open it from behind. "What I found at Sunrise End is my biggest discovery, mystery, dream, and nightmare. Even more so than the Emotion Orbs." He unbuckled the front clasps. "Twilight, I give you…" He opened it. "…the Dusk Sword."

Twilight's gasp lasted ten whole seconds. Her eyes widened more than Dream thought was physically possible for anypony. "It's beautiful."

The sword was four feet long and four inches wide. The blade was colored royal blue, the hilt and grip were darker blue, and were decorated by a thin, purple wire. A ghostly white aura floated around just beneath its surface.

"Yeah, but that's not why it's my most prized possession."

"Huh?"

Dream pointed to where the blade met the hilt. "Look. It's almost scary."

Twilight saw that there were words engraved in the steel. She read aloud, "For my great grandson, Dream Runner." The unicorn's mouth couldn't gape any wider. "This sword is a gift from your—"

"Yes, or it's just a coincidence." Dream shut the case and snapped the locks back into place. "I haven't looked for whoever left this there. I know better than to chase empty dreams. The odds of my great grandfather even being alive are too thin for me to even look. That is, if this sword really is meant for me. And I can't really chase the dreams I want to with my Forecast Dreams messing it all up."

Twilight thought she would see another frown on the Pegasus's face, yet he never dropped his smile. She noticed that his eyes were glossed over with complete happiness, and that the brown in them was much lighter than before. It was then Twilight knew that she was looking a different Dream Runner. She was looking at the true happy Pegasus he had been hiding from the world.

Dream snapped the locks back into place. "That's that." He struggled for more words. "Um…do you want to go back out?"

She nodded, and started back toward the gap at the other end of the satchel. Dream trotted up to walk beside her. He thought about talking about more of his adventures, but didn't want to sound self-centered. That caused him a problem because now he didn't have anything to discuss. He hoped Twilight would say something soon; he liked it when she talked. She was so much better at it than him.

* * *

The Friendship Express gradually came to a stop in front of the boarding platform in Canterlot Station. There, two Princesses waited eagerly to meet Twilight Sparkle and her new friend Dream Runner. Their guards had fallen back as was ordered by them so they would not intimidate the timid colt. The unloading ponies quickly crowded off the train as they finished the first part of their daily commute. Twilight and Dream were among the last ponies to leave the train. They departed from one of the cars at the rear.

Upon seeing them, Celestia's most faithful student quickly trotted up to them, almost leaving Dream behind. They both gave a bow of respect; Dream Runner's lasting longer than Twilight's.

"Twilight, how good to see you!" Celestia smiled and gave the unicorn a hug. She then turned to Dream, who cringed slightly. "And you must be Dream Runner. Twilight has told us much about you."

Fighting his blush down, he bashfully nodded. He inched a little closer to Twilight. "Um…y-yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, Dream Runner, there is no need for such formalities", Celestia assured warmly, "This is merely a meeting of introduction."

Dream didn't reply. He absolutely just did not know what to say. Talking to the princesses of Equestria was extremely nerve racking, so it made sense to him that the best way to speak to them would be not to speak at all. He also refused to make any eye contact, especially since one of them almost brought the land into eternal darkness.

Princess Luna looked down at Dream Runner, unimpressed. What Twilight saw in him was a mystery to her, but then again, she didn't know exactly what his full story was yet. Maybe there was something underneath that timorous exterior of his. "Shall we proceed to the castle?" she asked with a little impatience.

"Why of course Luna." Celestia put a wing around Twilight and Dream toushered them along. Dream offered a little resistance until Twilight turned to give him a reassuring smile. The two of them were so adorable that the princess nearly giggled uncontrollably.

They all proceeded to the main foyer of the castle. Twilight thought they were going to the throne room, as usual, until Princess Celestia turned to surprise her. "Twilight, if it is okay with Dream Runner, Luna and I would like to talk to him in private to get to know him a little better."

Dream hesitated, but Twilight brushed his hoof with hers, smearing a little of her confidence on him. He nodded with a meek smile.

"That sounds like a great idea, Princess. I'll go take a walk in the archives for old time's sake."

Celestia could look into Twilight's eyes and tell that she really didn't want to leave Dream's side. However, it was imperative that they were separated, at least for a few minutes. "Very well, Dream Runner, if you would be so kind as to follow Princess Luna and me, we can become better acquainted."

The Pegasus gulped. He hesitantly stepped forward away from the comfort of Twilight and into the cold, foreign land of the princesses' hospitality. He was no longer in Ponyville, and his memories of the other places of Equestria delivered him fears he didn't want to feel again. Twilight watched him go, longing to go with them, but the desire to go to the archives was much bigger, commanding her hooves to gallop toward the library to start off her research.

The halls were fairly lit with the different colors of the stained glass windows telling the stories of Equestria' history. Her hooves echoed against the floor in the empty corridor. Twilight rounded corner after corner and climbed two staircases before she slowed to a stop in front of the library doors. She gasped for breath; the run hit her with way more exhaustion than it used to when she lived in the castle. When her lungs stopped burning, she entered her favorite place in the whole castle. On the inside, Twilight immediately noticed every little change that was made to it since her last visit. The biggest change was the paint. It had been repainted to a light blue and the book cases and shelves white. There were now reading couches scattered about. If Twilight didn't know any better, she could have sworn it was fashioned more like a public library instead of royal archives. From the looks of it, though, everything was still organized the same way.

Her hooves moved before she could turn to watch where she was going and crashed right into an old friend. She picked herself up to see robed unicorn picking up scrolls and parchment that were scattered about by the crash. "Ghost Writer?"

He quickly glanced up in surprise. "Twilight Sparkle!" He took a step closer. "It's been forever since I'd last seen you!"

"How is everything, Ghost?"

He shrugged. "Nothing has changed much since I got back. I'm still the Princess's favorite scribe."

"Have you been practicing your magic?"

Ghost scratched the back of his neck and nervously shook his head. "I haven't the time too. Besides, my runes are still working just fine."

Twilight cocked her head to the side when she saw that something was missing from the gray unicorn. "Where's Flare?"

"He's in my room taking a nap", he replied. "I was just on my way up to finish a few reports, but I hadn't expected to see you here. Um…would you like to sit down and catch up?"

Twilight really didn't want to be rude, but this would be the only time she would be able to visit the archives for a while. "Would it be okay if we walked, I'm looking for a book."

Ghost Writer shook his head. "Not at all, I understand."

Twilight took that as her cue to head for the back of the massive room, completely forgetting about the "walk" part. She had never gone to the part of the library she was aimed for, but knew what she was looking for could be found there. She flew past the Equestrian History section and breeze by the Star Swirl the Bearded shelves. Ghost Writer was struggled to keep up and nearly got left behind before Twilight stopped.

Ghost adjusted his glasses. "The Wing of Family Trees?"

"Yes. I'm looking for the family of my co…friend. He's, uh, lost and doesn't have memory of his parents or family, so I'm here to help him out."

Ghost dropped his things. "Would you mind my help?"

Twilight smiled in thanks. "Yes, that would be a big help, thanks! His name's Dream Runner. Let's look for the Personal Information book first. I'm not very worried about finding his Clan."

Ghost climbed a ladder and together they set out to look for Dream's life information. That was a task, since neither pony could figure out how the names were arranged. At first, Twilight thought that they were arranged to date, then alphabetized, until Ghost pointed out that her parents' names were next to the princesses' names. Eventually they settled with sifting through all of the books that started with the letter "D". They were making some head way, but that was until they found out exactly how many ponies with the name "Dream" had ever been in existence. Twilight had shuffled through the last book at the opposite end of the section before she answered Ghost's question about life at home.

"It's been pretty boring", Twilight answered, "The incident with Phantom was the last exciting thing that's happened so far."

"I see." He dusted the spine of a book only to uncover the name "Dream Dancer".

Twilight wanted to ask Ghost about how life was going since his time in Ponyville, but was cut off by her name.

"TWLIGHT!"

"Oh, hey, Twist!"

The brown unicorn bounded up to the librarian and gave her a big hug. "Jeez it's been forever!"

"Yep", Twilight agreed. A small portion of her was a little resentful that she had run into another of her friends. It was slowing her down.

"Clever Twist, you know Twilight too?"

"Yep, we go way back, Ghost!" He put a hoof around the scribe. "Started out as study partners!"

"The funny thing is", Twilight said, "I didn't actually consider him a friend until after I moved to Ponyville."

"Nearly broke my heart", Twist joked. "But, thankfully I'm tough for a nerd!"

Ghost readjusted his glasses. "That's wonderful, but could you please let me go?"

"Twist, could you help us out?" Twilight called from the top of aladder. "We're looking for any information on a pony named Dream Runner."

Twist rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Twilight, but I have to get back to the Magical Development Department."

Ghost rolled his eyes. "A little work won't kill you Twist."

"I'm not taking that chance!" he cried. Then he smiled deviously, "Unless, I could get a kiss from a certain somepony…"

"I'd rather kiss a cactus", Twilight replied candidly.

"Or is it you're loyal to another colt?"

Twilight paused. "Now where would you get an idea like that?"

"Ooh, so you are!"

Twilight blushed in embarrassment. "No I'm not."

Twist opened his mouth again, only to have it filled with a wad of paper. "A lady's privacy is her own", said Ghost Writer. "I don't think you should pry into Twilight's."

"Thank you, Ghost." Twilight climbed down from the ladder. "So are you going to help us? Or do you like the taste of that paper?"

Twist rolled his eyes and shrugged. He spat the paper out. "Who're we looking for again?"

* * *

Dream was once again shaking himself to pieces. Even though Princess Celestia did her best to warm the atmosphere with different methods of hospitality, he still refused to relax. His gaze drifted from her to Luna, and back again like a cornered mouse watching two hungry cats.

"Twilight says you're a Dream Chaser. Would you care to elaborate for us?" Celestia's second attempt to coax the colt to talk failed as well. She could have offered him anything in her kingdom, but she couldn't change the fact that she was the Princess and he was the humble subject. Or could she? Maybe taking that approach would be the way to go. "Luna, I think I have the perfect way to help Dream Runner relax."

"You do?" Luna was doubtful. This colt was easily more frightened by them than the Element of Kindness was of her in Nightmare Night form. Her sister nodded confidently, and cast a spell on the two. She could feel her body changing. She had to hoof it to her sister; Celestia did always know how to think outside the box.

Dream watched the princesses shrink down until they were his size. Celestia levitated her tiara to the arm of her throne and hopped down. "Does this change anything?" she asked in a filly's voice.

Princess Luna followed Celestia's lead, but kept her tiara atop her head. "Don't think of us as your rulers, but as your friends."

Fear had moved completely out of Dream Runner's psyche and was replaced by the new tenant, shock. They just aged themselves backwards just so he wouldn't be so scared of them. _Maybe they aren't so bad after all…_

"So, let's have that name!" Celestia shouted.

"D-Dream Runner", he replied uncertainly.

Luna rolled her eyes. Now her sister was overdoing it. _Does she really have to act like a filly too?_

"Nice to meet you! I'm Celestia!"

Dream cracked a smile. This was so much better than what he was faced with when he first walked in. And the fact that she had basically become a mild Pinkie Pie was hilarious. He managed to hold his laughter in, which was good since he didn't want to risk an execution.

"And I'm Luna", said the night princess dully.

"Oh, don't mind her, she's just cranky!" The white Alicorn decided it was time to get down to business. "So, I guess you wanna know why you're here, right?"

"Twilight said that you were going help me." Dream stated.

"That's right, but first we need to know a little more about Dream Chasers."

"We know only a little about them", continued Luna, "And have never met one in person."

Dream was hesitant, but wanted to get their help. They were still strangers to him. "O-only if it stays between us."

"That's not a problem!"

* * *

"Gah! Twilight we've been at this forever already!"

"There are only a few more shelves left to check", Ghost replied. "Then you can complain somewhere else."

"But I want to complain right here!"

Twilight shook her head in exasperation. How Ghost and Twist were friends was a mystery that not even Sherlock Hooves could crack. Their bickering plus the grueling search for Dream's information made one hay of a dance team for her nerves. She continued to ignoring them and dusted off the final book on the bottom shelf. She sighed. Dream's info book was nowhere to be found. She was ready to call the quits along with Twist until Ghost levitated out a book proudly.

"I found it!"

Twilight snatched the dusty book out of the air and immediately opened it in front of her. The other two took a spot over her shoulders to join in her gasp of shock. Even though she was levitating it outwards, the book trembled in her grasp.

"I-it's empty…" She frantically flipped through the pages, only to find them as white as her face. Page after blank page turned in her magic. When she reached the back cover, Twilight finally dropped the book in defeat.

"Hey, Twilight, it's not all blank", Twist said, levitating it back up.

She solemnly looked up to see a small information page. She read it to herself. "Dream Runner. Age: 16 Date of Birth: September 26th. Weight: 115 lbs. Height: 5' 2"."

"How does the book know about the stuff that changes?" Twist whispered to Ghost.

"The books are magically enchanted to keep up to date with ponies' records."

Twilight closed the book and levitated it back into its rightful position. "Thanks, you two. I have to go now." The stallions watched her leave slowly. Twilight didn't have any place in particular to walk to, so she only let her hooves carry her wherever they wanted to go. Her mind was plunged too far into her thoughts to worry about where she would end up. Maybe it was best left to the princesses. She could solely work on Dream's social behavior while they worked on curing him of his Dream Chaser dilemma.

She had thought that coming to Canterlot would help out, but it only raised more questions from the confusion graveyard. _I hope everything works out in the end…_

**Boom! Kind of a double cliffhanger. I'm really mean. I'm sorry for the crazy delays in my updates, I've only been able to write at school with all of the busy work at home. But I have all of Saturday to write and I should manage to catch up then. ****The last part of this chapter I wrote half asleep, so if there are any errors, please let me know about them.**

**If you missed the last update to A Bittersweet Apple, you missed out on a lot of cute moments!**

**Don't forget to put your opinion on my poll, I really need votes!**

**Chapter Trivia:**

**Meet Ghost Writer! He's a guest star in my story and is from one of my favorite stories of all time: A Scribe's Work by Cody the Kirby. You should go check the story out, it's really suspenseful and is extremely awesome!**

**Clever Twist is the ponysona of one of my very best friends. I wanted to have him make an appearance, so this chapter was the perfect opportunity.**


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